Abe (musical)
Encyclopedia
Abe is a musical in two acts based on the life of President Abraham Lincoln
with book & lyrics by Lee Goldsmith, music by Roger Anderson and orchestration by Greg Anthony. The musical covers the life of Abraham Lincoln from his earliest attempts at self-improvement through the 1860 election which made him the 16th president of an already fracturing United States. Also explored is Lincoln's youth as a flatboat pilot on the Mississippi
, his early love for Ann Rutledge
, his troubled marriage to the difficult and mentally fragile Mary Todd
, and his attempt to be a good father to his sons.
in Quincy, Illinois
(a city which hosted one of the historic Lincoln-Douglas debates
) produced the World Premiere of Abe. The production team included stage director Mark Meier, musical director/conductor Scott Schoonover and choreographer Drew Quintero. In advance of the work's premiere on February 20, publishing house Samuel French
added Abe to its catalog of dramatic works.
Theatre in the Park of New Salem, Illinois mounted a second production at the New Salem State Historic Site that same year as part of its season celebrating Lincoln and the Civil War Era
.
recognized the creative team of Abe along with a select group of artists inspired by Lincoln's life. The Hannibal Courier-Post cited the musical as "an entertaining evening, merging history and insight into the personalities of people in Lincoln’s life."
Other roles include: Jim Rutledge, Denton Offutt
, Jack Armstrong, Mrs. Cameron, Elizabeth Edwards, and Lincoln's sons Robert
, Willie
and Tad
.
In 1829 New Orleans a nineteen-year-old Abe Lincoln witnesses a slave auction.
Scene 2
Three years later Abe is working as a store clerk in the struggling river town of New Salem, Illinois (Fifteen Houses). Abe feels close to the tavern owner’s daughter, Ann Rutledge
, and tells her of his origins (Hardin County, Kentucky). He also finds a friend and tutor in Mentor Graham, the town schoolteacher.
Scene 3
Visiting the Rutledge tavern one night, Abe realizes that he has fallen in love with Ann (A Girl Like Her) yet cannot imagine her ever returning his feelings. Abe is challenged to wrestle by one of the town’s bullies and surprises everyone by pinning the challenger to the tavern floor. In order to make peace with his customers, Jim Rutledge buys everyone a round of drinks (Corn).
Scene 4
Abe has become a voracious reader and particularly taken with Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England
. Though many people in New Salem recognize his brilliance, Abe struggles to find his purpose (Who Are You?). Ignoring Abe’s insecurity, Ann can’t help but fall in love with someone she so admires (A Man Like Him).
Scene 5
Since the store where he worked is out of business, Abe takes the townspeople’s suggestion and runs for the Illinois Legislature. Though he’s defeated, Abe carries nearly all of New Salem’s votes (277 to 3).
Scene 6
Three years later, Abe is now an Illinois legislator and visits New Salem to ask for Ann’s hand. She accepts but wishes to wait until Abe has finished his law degree (A Girl Like Her reprise).
Scene 7
Three months later Ann is dead; Abe suffers a bout of melancholy that darkens the rest of his life.
Scene 8
Five years pass and Abe is still in the State Legislature while running a successful law practice. Attending a Cotillion Ball Abe is pursued by Mary Todd
, a visitor from Kentucky. Mary envisions Abe’s great political future, which she intends to cultivate and become part of (Mrs. Abraham Lincoln). Abe’s friend and colleague, Billy Herndon
, a staunch abolitionist
, introduces a game to the Cotillion guests (What Am I Bid?). The seemingly innocent entertainment turns into a riot, underscoring the slavery conflict that is consuming the nation.
Though Mary continues to pursue Abe, her family believes the match is not suitable. Abe proposes to her in December 1840 and agrees to a New Year’s Day wedding, but never appears. Mary remains steadfast in her hopes; two years later they are finally wed (Mrs. Abraham Lincoln reprise).
Scene 2
Elected to one term in the United States House of Representatives
in 1846, Abe finds it impossible, despite attempts from family and friends, to compromise his ideals (Someone).
Scene 3
Years later Abe and Mary with their sons Bob, Willie and Tad celebrate Christmas Eve. Tad, the youngest, questions his father how life would be different had one of the boys been a girl (What Would I Do With Daughters?). Soon after Mary criticizes Abe on the manner in which he treats her in public, but admits to being overly sensitive since he lost the election to the United States Senate
the previous year. They discuss the good things they share in marriage and family (A Moment Like This One). Billy Herndon, now Abe’s law partner, arrives with presents and news that Abe is in consideration for the presidential nomination of 1860. After he leaves, Mary launches into a tirade against Billy, revealing signs of emotional instability that will plague her for the rest of her life.
Scene 4
Abe visits the photography studio of Matthew Brady in February 1860 where he encounters a boy who has memorized his “House Divided” speech
.
Scene 5
In May 1860 at Chicago’s Convention Hall, Abe wins the nomination for President (Who Abe? You, Abe!).
Scene 6
In November, he is elected the 16th President of the United States of America.
Scene 7
On February 11, 1861 the Lincolns are packed and ready to leave for Washington, D.C. Abe finds himself left alone (Who Are You? reprise). Abe’s oldest son Bob enters to say he has heard that the nation is coming apart and asks if his father can stop it. “I can try,” Abe responds. Alone again, Abe remembers Ann. Mary enters. Together, arm in arm, they leave for the train station.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
with book & lyrics by Lee Goldsmith, music by Roger Anderson and orchestration by Greg Anthony. The musical covers the life of Abraham Lincoln from his earliest attempts at self-improvement through the 1860 election which made him the 16th president of an already fracturing United States. Also explored is Lincoln's youth as a flatboat pilot on the Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, his early love for Ann Rutledge
Ann Rutledge
Ann Rutledge was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love.-Relationship:Born near Henderson, Kentucky Ann Mayes Rutledge was the third of ten children born to Mary and James Rutledge. In 1829, her father, along with John M. Cameron, founded New Salem, Illinois...
, his troubled marriage to the difficult and mentally fragile Mary Todd
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:...
, and his attempt to be a good father to his sons.
Premiere
During the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Year, Muddy River Opera CompanyMuddy River Opera Company
Located in Quincy, Illinois, the Muddy River Opera Company was founded by Mary Anne Scott and Mary Jane McCloskey in 1989 as a non-profit arts organization. The company was incorporated in 1990. Scott and McCloskey had two goals in mind: to make professional operatic performances and educational...
in Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
(a city which hosted one of the historic Lincoln-Douglas debates
Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858
The Lincoln–Douglas Debates of 1858 were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for Senate in Illinois, and the incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. At the time, U.S. senators were elected by state legislatures; thus Lincoln and...
) produced the World Premiere of Abe. The production team included stage director Mark Meier, musical director/conductor Scott Schoonover and choreographer Drew Quintero. In advance of the work's premiere on February 20, publishing house Samuel French
Samuel French Inc.
Samuel French, Inc. is an American company, founded by Samuel French and Thomas Hailes Lacy, who formed a partnership to combine their existing interests in London and New York...
added Abe to its catalog of dramatic works.
Theatre in the Park of New Salem, Illinois mounted a second production at the New Salem State Historic Site that same year as part of its season celebrating Lincoln and the Civil War Era
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Recognition
The Lincoln Bicentennial CommissionAbraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission was the Congressionally created 14-member federal commission focused on planning and commemorating the 200th birthday of the United States' 16th president on February 12, 2009. The commission served for ten years, from 2000 to 2010...
recognized the creative team of Abe along with a select group of artists inspired by Lincoln's life. The Hannibal Courier-Post cited the musical as "an entertaining evening, merging history and insight into the personalities of people in Lincoln’s life."
Principal Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, February 20, 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| Abe Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
Baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Samuel Hepler |
| Mentor Graham | Baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Greg Lewis |
| Ann Rutledge Ann Rutledge Ann Rutledge was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love.-Relationship:Born near Henderson, Kentucky Ann Mayes Rutledge was the third of ten children born to Mary and James Rutledge. In 1829, her father, along with John M. Cameron, founded New Salem, Illinois... |
Soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Elise LaBarge |
| Mary Todd Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:... |
Mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Joy Boland |
| Billy Herndon William Herndon (lawyer) William Henry Herndon was the law partner and biographer of Abraham Lincoln.-Biography:Born in Greensburg, Kentucky, Herndon and his family moved to Illinois in 1820, and they settled in Springfield when he was five. Herndon attended Illinois College from 1836-1837. In 1840 he married Mary J.... |
Tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Robert Boldin |
Other roles include: Jim Rutledge, Denton Offutt
Denton Offutt
Denton Offutt was a 19th-century American general store operator who hired future President Abraham Lincoln for his first job as an adult in New Salem, Illinois....
, Jack Armstrong, Mrs. Cameron, Elizabeth Edwards, and Lincoln's sons Robert
Robert Todd Lincoln
Robert Todd Lincoln was an American lawyer and Secretary of War, and the first son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln...
, Willie
William Wallace Lincoln
William Wallace "Willie" Lincoln was the third son of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. He died at the age of 11. He was named after Mary's brother-in-law Dr. William Wallace.- Final illness and death :...
and Tad
Tad Lincoln
Thomas "Tad" Lincoln was the fourth and youngest son of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. The nickname "Tad" was given to him by his father who found Thomas "as wriggly as a tadpole" when he was a baby. Tad was known to be impulsive, unrestrained, and did not attend school...
.
Act One
Scene 1 (Prelude)In 1829 New Orleans a nineteen-year-old Abe Lincoln witnesses a slave auction.
Scene 2
Three years later Abe is working as a store clerk in the struggling river town of New Salem, Illinois (Fifteen Houses). Abe feels close to the tavern owner’s daughter, Ann Rutledge
Ann Rutledge
Ann Rutledge was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love.-Relationship:Born near Henderson, Kentucky Ann Mayes Rutledge was the third of ten children born to Mary and James Rutledge. In 1829, her father, along with John M. Cameron, founded New Salem, Illinois...
, and tells her of his origins (Hardin County, Kentucky). He also finds a friend and tutor in Mentor Graham, the town schoolteacher.
Scene 3
Visiting the Rutledge tavern one night, Abe realizes that he has fallen in love with Ann (A Girl Like Her) yet cannot imagine her ever returning his feelings. Abe is challenged to wrestle by one of the town’s bullies and surprises everyone by pinning the challenger to the tavern floor. In order to make peace with his customers, Jim Rutledge buys everyone a round of drinks (Corn).
Scene 4
Abe has become a voracious reader and particularly taken with Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England
Commentaries on the Laws of England
The Commentaries on the Laws of England are an influential 18th-century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, originally published by the Clarendon Press at Oxford, 1765–1769...
. Though many people in New Salem recognize his brilliance, Abe struggles to find his purpose (Who Are You?). Ignoring Abe’s insecurity, Ann can’t help but fall in love with someone she so admires (A Man Like Him).
Scene 5
Since the store where he worked is out of business, Abe takes the townspeople’s suggestion and runs for the Illinois Legislature. Though he’s defeated, Abe carries nearly all of New Salem’s votes (277 to 3).
Scene 6
Three years later, Abe is now an Illinois legislator and visits New Salem to ask for Ann’s hand. She accepts but wishes to wait until Abe has finished his law degree (A Girl Like Her reprise).
Scene 7
Three months later Ann is dead; Abe suffers a bout of melancholy that darkens the rest of his life.
Scene 8
Five years pass and Abe is still in the State Legislature while running a successful law practice. Attending a Cotillion Ball Abe is pursued by Mary Todd
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:...
, a visitor from Kentucky. Mary envisions Abe’s great political future, which she intends to cultivate and become part of (Mrs. Abraham Lincoln). Abe’s friend and colleague, Billy Herndon
William Herndon (lawyer)
William Henry Herndon was the law partner and biographer of Abraham Lincoln.-Biography:Born in Greensburg, Kentucky, Herndon and his family moved to Illinois in 1820, and they settled in Springfield when he was five. Herndon attended Illinois College from 1836-1837. In 1840 he married Mary J....
, a staunch abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
, introduces a game to the Cotillion guests (What Am I Bid?). The seemingly innocent entertainment turns into a riot, underscoring the slavery conflict that is consuming the nation.
Act Two
Scene 1Though Mary continues to pursue Abe, her family believes the match is not suitable. Abe proposes to her in December 1840 and agrees to a New Year’s Day wedding, but never appears. Mary remains steadfast in her hopes; two years later they are finally wed (Mrs. Abraham Lincoln reprise).
Scene 2
Elected to one term in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1846, Abe finds it impossible, despite attempts from family and friends, to compromise his ideals (Someone).
Scene 3
Years later Abe and Mary with their sons Bob, Willie and Tad celebrate Christmas Eve. Tad, the youngest, questions his father how life would be different had one of the boys been a girl (What Would I Do With Daughters?). Soon after Mary criticizes Abe on the manner in which he treats her in public, but admits to being overly sensitive since he lost the election to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
the previous year. They discuss the good things they share in marriage and family (A Moment Like This One). Billy Herndon, now Abe’s law partner, arrives with presents and news that Abe is in consideration for the presidential nomination of 1860. After he leaves, Mary launches into a tirade against Billy, revealing signs of emotional instability that will plague her for the rest of her life.
Scene 4
Abe visits the photography studio of Matthew Brady in February 1860 where he encounters a boy who has memorized his “House Divided” speech
Lincoln's House Divided Speech
The House Divided Speech was an address given by Abraham Lincoln on June 16, 1858, in Springfield, Illinois, upon accepting the Illinois Republican Party's nomination as that state's United States senator. The speech became the launching point for his unsuccessful campaign for the Senate seat...
.
Scene 5
In May 1860 at Chicago’s Convention Hall, Abe wins the nomination for President (Who Abe? You, Abe!).
Scene 6
In November, he is elected the 16th President of the United States of America.
Scene 7
On February 11, 1861 the Lincolns are packed and ready to leave for Washington, D.C. Abe finds himself left alone (Who Are You? reprise). Abe’s oldest son Bob enters to say he has heard that the nation is coming apart and asks if his father can stop it. “I can try,” Abe responds. Alone again, Abe remembers Ann. Mary enters. Together, arm in arm, they leave for the train station.
Sources
- Muddy River Opera Company Program
- Official Website of Abe