From Potomac Stages - March 25 2006

What better venue for this Civil War musical than this Civil War landmark? The set affirms the connection by placing a black frame at center stage emblazoned with the slogan "The Nation Mourns." Visible through the frame, and filling the rear half of the stage, are the rolling hills of Virginia over which soldiers and farmers enter and exit as they perform this stirring, entertaining, heart tugging tale set to a score ranging from joyful hoedown to country love song and from comic commentary to introspective soliloquy. The performance of Scott Bakula, as the patriarch of a farm family in the Shenandoah Valley caught between the Blue and the Gray, is strong from the moment he wanders over those hills. It is a polished performance with every moment, movement and gesture thoroughly thought out and rendered with the confidence of a man used to dominating a musical stage. That shouldn't be too surprising given that, before his career in television, Bakula was a theater actor and even earned a Tony Award nomination as best actor in a musical for the 1988 Romance/Romance.

Storyline: As the Civil War breaks out all around him, a farmer in the Shenandoah Valley sees no reason to let the battles of others affect the family farm he and his late wife created out of wilderness. He certainly doesn’t see why either side should take his sons to fight or his horses to ride. But, when his youngest son is taken prisoner, he leads the rest of his family in a rescue mission. His refusal to have his family involved turns out to have been principal and not cowardice as he voices his belief that, like all wars, “the undertakers are winning.”

This is the musical version of the 1965 movie that starred Jimmy Stewart. It came to Broadway at the end of the Viet Nam era as a strong anti-war show. It stands for a number of what today might be called "family values" in a political debate. The strains of parental responsibility, sibling loyalty and love are vividly portrayed along with the anti-war message. It also shows a selfish streak in the famous independence of American settlers that is not often praised. This particular farmer recognizes no responsibility to society. His opposition to having any member of his family participate in the war isn't based on opposition to war in general or to the issues underlying this war, although he's clearly anti-slavery. He not only rejects any duty to country, he rejects any duty to God. Yet his stalwart devotion to his family and the memory of his late wife is complete.

The opening number finds soldiers facing stage left all in grey. When they turn to face stage right, they reveal that the other side of their costumes are all blue. This isn't director Jeff Calhoun's trick to make fewer actors seem like larger armies. It is a statement that it isn't what side they are on that is important, it is that they are at war and that war will impact this one family. Calhoun mounts the entire show fluidly with sharp focus on the relationships between the family members. Bakula has great chemistry with the cast members playing his family, especially Megan Lewis who is delightful as daughter Jenny, and Kevin Clay as his youngest son. Had Clay's part included more scenes in the second act, he might have stolen the entire show. His work on the thoughtfully comic duet "Why Am I Me?," his dancing in the first chorus of "Next to Lovin' (I Like Fightin')," his sly humor in lines such as "The pickers are here" and his openness in the scenes establishing the special bond between father and youngest son come close to stealing the first act.

New orchestrations use a pit band of eight with two keyboards. Given the intimacy of Ford's and the quality of the sound design, the result is a distinctly country music feel that seems just right for the venue as well as for the play. This is not musical comedy. It is musical drama, which -- while it has warmly affectionate moments, high comic relief and spirited release in dance -- has its full measure of the pain of loss and tragedy. With three on-stage killings and an implied rape, it is a strong story with strong emotions. The pleasure comes from the fact that it manages to get the audience to share those emotions. Isn't that what theater is for?

Music by Gary Geld. Lyrics by Peter Udell. Book by James Lee Barrett, Peter Udell and Philip Rose. Based on the original screenplay by James Lee Barrett. Directed by Jeff Calhoun. Musical direction, arrangements and orchestrations by Steven Landau. Choreography by Jeff Calhoun and Chase Brock. Fight/Military choreography by David Leong. Design: Tobin Ost (set and costume) Tom Watson (hair and wigs) Michael Gilliam (lights) David Budries (sound) T. Charles Erickson (photography) Craig A. Horness (stage manager). Cast: Scott Bakula, Christopher Block, Peter Boyer, Evan Casey, Kevin Clay, Rick Faugno, Richard Frederick, Ryan Jackson, Megan Lewis, Timothy Dale Lewis, Garrett Long, Mike Mainwaring, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Geoff Packard, Richard Pelzman, Noah Racey, Aaron Ramey, Andrew Samonsky, Stephen F. Schmidt, Bret Shuford, Danny Tippett.

Copyright © 2006 Potomac Stages

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