Shenandoah (musical)

{{Infobox musical
|name= Shenandoah
|subtitle=
|image= Shenandoah (musical).jpg
|caption= Original Cast Recording
|music= Gary Geld
|lyrics= Peter Udell
|book= Peter Udell Philip Rose  James Lee Barrett
|basis= 1965 film Shenandoah
|productions= 1974 Goodspeed Opera House  1975 Broadway 1977 First National Tour 1989 Broadway revival

|awards= Tony Award for Best Book in a Musical  Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum)
}}Shenandoah is a 1974 musical with music by Gary Geld, lyrics by Peter Udell, and book by Udell, Philip Rose, and James Lee Barrett. It is based on Barrett's original screenplay for the 1965 film Shenandoah.

Synopsis
Charlie Anderson, a widower, lives with his large family in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, during the American Civil War.  Anderson does not wish to be involved with the war because he doesn't consider it "his" war, but he is forced to take action when his youngest son Robert is taken prisoner by Union soldiers. In the course of searching for Robert, Charlie, his daughter Jenny, and some of his sons rescue Sam (Jenny's newlywed Confederate soldier husband) from a Yankee POW train. After enduring the tragedy of losing his eldest son Jacob (to a sniper) and his second eldest son James and James' wife Anne (to deserters), Charlie and the rest of the family return home, defeated. In his despair, Charlie is reminded to return to church, where he, at long last, is reunited with Robert once more.

 Original cast and characters 

Musical numbers

Act I
 Raise the Flag of Dixie (Prologue) - Ensemble
 I've Heard it All Before - Charlie
 Pass the Cross to Me - Ensemble
 Why Am I Me? - The Boy and Gabriel
 Next to Lovin' (I Like Fightin')  - Jacob, James, Nathan, John and Henry
 Over the Hill - Jenny
 The Pickers are Coming - Charlie
 Next to Lovin' (I Like Fightin') (Reprise) - Jacob, James, Nathan, John, Henry and Jenny
 Meditation - Charlie
 We Make a Beautiful Pair - Anne and Jenny
 Violets and Silverbells - Jenny, Sam and Ensemble
 It's a Boy! - Charlie, Jacob, James, Nathan, John and Henry

Act II
 Entr'acte - Orchestra
 Freedom - Anne and Gabriel
 Violets and Silverbells (reprise) - James and Anne
 Papa's Gonna Make it Alright - Charlie
 The Only Home I Know - Corporal and Ensemble
 The Only Home I Know (Reprise) - Corporal
 Papa's Gonna Make it Alright (Reprise) - Jenny
 Meditation II - Charlie
 Pass the Cross to Me (Finale) - Ensemble
 Freedom (curtain call) - Ensemble

 Productions 
The play was first performed at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, during 1974. It then moved to the Colonial Theater in Boston for a pre-Broadway run from November 25, 1974 - December 14, 1974. It then transferred to the Alvin Theatre on Broadway beginning on January 7, 1975. where it played for a total of 1,050 performances, ending August 7, 1977.

The production was directed by Philip Rose, with scenery by Chuck Murawski, lighting by Thomas R. Skelton, costumes by Pearl Somner and Winn Morton, choreography by Robert Tucker, dance arrangements by Russell Warner, musical direction by Lynn Crigler, and orchestrations by Don Walker. Michael P. Price was executive director of the Goodspeed Opera House.

The production was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won two: one for Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum) and the other for Best Book of a Musical.
  Shenandoah was revived at the Virginia Theatre on Broadway, again with Cullum in the main role, on August 8, 1989, and ended September 2, 1989. It returned to the Goodspeed Opera House during 1994, featuring Marc Kudisch. A new production began on March 22, 2006 at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., featuring Scott Bakula. A positive critical response and strong sales resulted in the run being extended through May 21, although Bakula left the production April 30.Shenandoah'' was staged by The Serenbe Playhouse in Serenbe, Georgia in spring 2019. It featured Taylor Hicks and Rachel Potter in the cast. It received positive reviews.

References

External links
 
 Shenandoah at Ford's Theatre

1974 musicals
Broadway musicals
Musicals based on films
Tony Award-winning musicals
Musicals set in Virginia
Musicals about the American Civil War
Musicals set in the 1860s