On Sunday June 1st 2008, Broadway stars headed to the White House in Washington, DC for a special Civil War Gala where they performed songs from the musical "The Civil War" at the National Theater.
Actor
Hal Holbrook, Trisha Yearwood,
Clay Aiken,
Michael Lanning, Gene Miller,
Brandi Burkhardt,
Cheryl Freeman,
Lauren Kennedy,
Capathia Jenkins, Ray McLeod, and Maya Angelou were some of the main performers and artists present. The musical was directed by
Jeremy Roberts, the orchestra was conducted by Kim Scharnberg, and the gospel choir was conducted by
Dave Clemmons.
Jeff Calhoun directed the performance.
Some highlights included
Rob Evan singing a duet with Trisha Yearwood on "If I Should Lose My Way",
Clay Aiken singing "Sarah",
Brandi Burkhardt doing "I Never Knew His Name", the company (led by
Michael Lanning & Gene Miller) doing "The Glory", BeBe Winans on River Jordan,
Cheryl Freeman on "Someday", and
Lauren Kennedy &
Capathia Jenkins doing a duet of "Candle In The Window".
The musical made its premiere in Houston in 1988 before moving to Broadway. It follows the war from different perspectives. The spoken word selections invoked Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth and Lincoln among others. The show had its music written by
Frank Wildhorn; lyrics by
Jack Murphy and book by
Frank Wildhorn and Gregory Boyd.
George and Laura Bush were present for the concert and after wards stated, "Laura and I have been coming here now for eight years to the Ford Theatre gala and this is by far the best. It's such an uplifting performance and a reminder of what a great president Abraham Lincoln was."
Rehearsal Photos
Rob Evan
Brandi Burkhardt
Michael Lanning
Rob Evan and Trisha Yearwood
Rob Evan and Trisha Yearwood
Hal Holbrook,Avery Brooks, Brandi Burkhardt and Lauren Kennedy
Hal Holbrook
Rob Evan
Capathia Jenkins and Lauren Kennedy
Danny Zolli
Frank Wildhorn and Dr. Maya Angelou
Danny Zolli, Ray McLeod and Michael Lanning
Rehearsal Photos by Mark Ramont
Performance Photos
Avery Brooks
Avery Brooks
Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Dr. Maya Angelou
Dr. Maya Angelou
Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook
Trisha Yearwood
Rob Evan and Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood
Brandi Burkhardt
Capathia Jenkins and Lauren Kennedy
Laura Bush
George W. Bush
The full ensemble
Performance Photos Courtesy of Reflections Photography
