Review Roundup: Frank Wildhorn's FREEDOM'S SONG

Freedom's Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War by Frank Wildhorn, Gregory Boyd and Jack Murphy with music by Frank Wildhorn, adapted by Richard Hellesen and Mark Ramont, is directed by Jeff Calhoun and runs now through May 20, 2015 at at Ford's Theatre is located at 511 10th Street NW, between E and F streets.

Let's see what the critics had to say:

Benjamin Tomchik, BroadwayWorld.com: The most impressive performance belongs to McAllister who plays the role of the Fugitive, a slave who escapes from the South to North and becomes a Union solider. McAllister's vocal prowess is on full display with "Father, How Long," a searing anthem that asks how long the nation will have to fight till every citizen is free.

Alan Katz, DC Theatre Scene: Director Jeff Calhoun has also organized a coherent and impressive set of design elements to fill out the world that these characters occupy. Designer Tobin Ost's set is an enormous and oddly proportioned house, severely tilted to express the jarring turmoil of the Civil War, but not so alien that it feels uncomfortable in the space.

Jane Horwitz, Washington Post: Calhoun deftly moves 21 gifted performers around the stage while they belt or harmonize their way through Frank Wildhorn's generic tunes. Now and then, he freezes them - or friezes them - into tableaus of soldiers in battle, wives back home or slaves contemplating freedom.

AMANDA N. GUNTHER, Theatrebloom.com: Inspirational chords underscore powerful lyrics in every number that highlight our nation's toughest internal struggle. The hinted storyline that weaves its way in and out of the numbers follows soldiers, and those they leave behind, as the Civil War gets underway. Addressing slavery, freedom, and the greatest man of his time, Wildhorn, Boyd, and Murphy create a sensational musical that delivers American pride in our nation's past. Directed by Jeff Calhoun, with Musical Direction by Michael T. Sebastian, Freedom's Song will reanimate a swelling sense of honor and nobility within the heart.

Paul M. Bessel And Barbara Braswell , DC Metro Theatre Arts: Perennial favorite Nova Y. Payton as the Storyteller steps onto the stage in contemporary clothing and leads the cast in a thrilling "Prologue." Sometimes with accompaniment and sometimes a cappella, Payton's voice fills the theatre with rich tones and stirring melodies... As the play progresses, the cast dons colorful, appealing, and historically appropriate costumes, courtesy of Costume Designer Wade Laboissonniere.

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