Shenandoah (musical)
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Shenandoah is a 1975 Broadway musical with music by Gary Geld, lyrics by Peter Udell, and a book by Udell, Philip Rose and James Lee Barrett, based on Barrett's original screenplay for the 1965 film Shenandoah. The musical first opened at the Goodspeed Opera House in 1974 and then transferred to Broadway, opening on January 7, 1975. It ran on Broadway for a total of 1,050 performances, closing August 7, 1977. The production was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won two Tonys, one for Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum) and the other for Best Book of a Musical. Aside from Cullum, other cast members in the original production included Joel Higgins and Penelope Milford.
As with the original film, Shenandoah centers on a widower, Charlie Anderson, living with his large family in the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War. Anderson does not wish to be involved in the war because he doesn't consider it "his" war, but he's forced to take action when his youngest son is taken prisoner by Federal soldiers.
Shenandoah was revived on Broadway, again with Cullum in the lead role, on August 8, 1989; this production lasted only 32 performances, closing September 2, 1989. A new production of Shenandoah opened March 22, 2006 at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., starring Scott Bakula; positive critical notices and strong ticket sales have resulted in the show's run being extended through May 21 (although Bakula is to depart the production April 30).
