Vogel's A Civil War Christmas Premieres in New Haven Nov. 26
By Adam Hetrick
26 Nov 2008
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Paula Vogel
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| photo by Aubrey Reuben | The world premiere of Paula Vogel's A Civil War Christmas begins performances at the Long Wharf Theatre Nov. 26.
Tina Landau directs the production that is sprinkled with holiday carols and traditional American songs. A Civil War Christmas will officially open Dec. 3 and continue through Dec. 21.
The company includes Jay Russell (The Play What I Wrote), Diane Sutherland (The Light in the Piazza), Marc Damon Johnson (The Brothers Size), Ora Jones (Boy Gets Girl), Susannah Flood, Justin Blanchard (Journey's End), Bianca LaVerne Jones, Drew McVety (Sunday in the Park with George), Rachel Shapiro Alderman, J.D. Goldblatt (Iphigenia 2.0), Brian Tyree Henry (The Brothers Size), Scott Thomas, Guy Adkins, Melanky Welsh and Faith Philpot.
While many theatre companies across the U.S offer stage productions of Dickens' London-set A Christmas Carol, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel set out to create a holiday tale that is distinctly American.
Press notes for A Civil War Christmas state, "It's 1864, and Washington, DC, settles down to the coldest Christmas Eve in years - in the White House, where President and Mrs. Lincoln plot their gift-giving; on the banks of the Potomac, where a young rebel challenges a Union blacksmith's mercy; and in the alleys downtown, where an escaped slave loses her daughter just before finding freedom."
Long Wharf artistic director Gordon Edelstein described the new work as "Paula's biggest play, the first play she has attempted that is so large in scope. She is dealing with themes central to American spirit and American history – the issues of race, gender, freedom, inclusiveness and forgiveness."
Designing the production are James Schuette (set design), Toni-Leslie James (costume design), Scott Zielinski (lighting design), Josh Horvath (sound design), Daryl Waters (music supervisor) and Andrew Resnick (music director).
For tickets visit longwharf.org.
The Long Wharf Theatre is located at 222 Sargent Drive in New Haven, CT.
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