Chamberlain:
A Civil War Romance
Book & Lyrics by Sarah Knapp, Music by Steven M. Alper
"For the Union, for Maine, for you.”
Chamberlain: A Civil War Romance, is, at its core, an exploration of the perennial conflict between public duty and private devotion. This musical about the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain not only celebrates a great Civil War hero, but also examines a universal theme: How a person's sense of duty and destiny affect his personal life.
In their life together, Chamberlain and his wife, Fannie, demonstrated a powerful love of music -- a fact which was an inspiration in the writing of the musical. For example, one of Chamberlain's favorite hymns, "Abide With Me," is quoted throughout the piece. The rest of the score is a reflection of the music to which Chamberlain was exposed: popular songs of the era, songs of the Civil War years. Of particular import is the incorporation of the brigade bugle call of the 20th Maine (written by Daniel Butterfield, the composer of "Taps").
Chamberlain: A Civil War Romance was developed through a grant from the National Alliance of Musical Theatre Producers and Maine State Music Theatre. It received a workshop in 1995 at the prestigious New Harmony Project. A reading was done at the Lambs Theatre, New York, in February, 1996. The show premiered at Maine State Music Theatre, Brunswick, Maine, in August of 1996 and appeared there again, in a slightly revised form, in 2014 (the centennial of Chamberlain's death).
Portland Press Herald
Loving sense of hope energizes 'Chamberlain'
by Mary Snell
...But "Chamberlain: A Civil War Romance," which had its premiere here, is not all hometown hurrah. Passionate, heartfelt and inspiring, the show deals with larger issues of a man's call to duty and public service and how that affects his choices in his private life and relationships.
"Chamberlain" is filled with the spirits of the past and is energized by a poetic, idealistic and loving sense of hope and redemption....
Mark Jacoby is terrific in the title role of Chamberlain. His charming voice and command of the stage bring the needed aura of kind authority to his character. ...Knapp shows her skill as a playwright and as an actor in her depiction of Fannie as a difficult person, but one tortured by the fact of her impending blindness. This selfish, unhappy character becomes more sympathetic when seen from her perspective -- how Chamberlain's "duty" meant broken promises and abandonment.
...[Charles] Abbott has ably pulled together the many pieces of this big production -- the musical elements and dancing, the large cast with many costumes, the multiple set changes, the broad range of time -- to give us an energetic and generally quick paced show....
Bonnie Walker served as choreographer and must be credited particularly for the lively dance number at the train station (Union Station in Portland) as the men go off to war. And kudos to the costume designer, Susan Picinich, for her stunning period dresses for Fannie and for the other dresses, men's formalwear and soldier uniforms.
...I particularly like the rousing opening number, "For the Union"; Fannie's unusual lament, "So Sorry For Me", and Fannie's and Chamberlain's poignant duet, "Alone in the Dark."
Loving sense of hope energizes 'Chamberlain'
by Mary Snell
...But "Chamberlain: A Civil War Romance," which had its premiere here, is not all hometown hurrah. Passionate, heartfelt and inspiring, the show deals with larger issues of a man's call to duty and public service and how that affects his choices in his private life and relationships.
"Chamberlain" is filled with the spirits of the past and is energized by a poetic, idealistic and loving sense of hope and redemption....
Mark Jacoby is terrific in the title role of Chamberlain. His charming voice and command of the stage bring the needed aura of kind authority to his character. ...Knapp shows her skill as a playwright and as an actor in her depiction of Fannie as a difficult person, but one tortured by the fact of her impending blindness. This selfish, unhappy character becomes more sympathetic when seen from her perspective -- how Chamberlain's "duty" meant broken promises and abandonment.
...[Charles] Abbott has ably pulled together the many pieces of this big production -- the musical elements and dancing, the large cast with many costumes, the multiple set changes, the broad range of time -- to give us an energetic and generally quick paced show....
Bonnie Walker served as choreographer and must be credited particularly for the lively dance number at the train station (Union Station in Portland) as the men go off to war. And kudos to the costume designer, Susan Picinich, for her stunning period dresses for Fannie and for the other dresses, men's formalwear and soldier uniforms.
...I particularly like the rousing opening number, "For the Union"; Fannie's unusual lament, "So Sorry For Me", and Fannie's and Chamberlain's poignant duet, "Alone in the Dark."