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This is a pop/rock opera about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. It was written by John Doucette and Tony Cavallo and is sung by a variety of singers. Obviously, translating the events of the Civil War into a musical format is a very ambitious and difficult undertaking, but Doucette and Cavallo pull it off quite admirably.

The songs are written in the voices of a variety of characters - Lincoln, his wife Mary, members of Lincoln's cabinet, General McClellan, a slave couple named George and Janie, and John Wilkes Booth. This allows for the expression of a variety of viewpoints on the events of the war. At the same time the songs fit together very neatly into a coherent narrative.

Musically, the songs are a hybrid of pop, rock and theatrical music, with primarily rock oriented instrumentation. The work contains several outstanding songs. One of the best is "Loss of a Child", a beautiful melancholy ballad about the loss of the Lincoln's son, Willie, sung as a duet between Lincoln and Mary. Equally great is "Suddenly It's Peaceful", a gorgeous ballad marking the end of the war and the calm before Lincoln's assassination, also sung as a duet between Lincoln and Mary. Heide Lee, who sings the part of Mary Lincoln, turns in excellent performances on both numbers. Other highlights include another strong ballad, "Reborn", the mournful dirge, "Still got a whip", and the victory celebration, "Long Live Abraham".

In Spite of Reason succeeds admirably in offering a musical portrayal of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.
Copyright 1996 Rock Beat International

Although the cover of IN SPITE of REASON (Sparx Echo Productions SECD50501; 46:25/43:04) states it is the "Original Cast Recording", there is no evidence in it's enclosed booklet that this pop rock musical has yet been staged. John Doucette and Tony Cavallo, authors of the lyrics and music, have attempted to personalize the Civil War and subsequent events leading to the Emancipation Proclamation, primarily through President Abraham Lincoln's viewpoint.

It is a lot to condense into a musical (and may actually be more appropriate to opera). But Doucette and Cavallo manage to keep their focus, in spite of the temptation to go epic with battle scenes, lovers parted, and other wartime cliches we've seen in movies. They even end their story as Lincoln and his wife leave for Ford's Theatre on that fateful night, instead of taking it to a too obvious conclusion.

There are Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar influences to be heard along the way, to be sure. However, those who like those musicals might just find things to like in this one, too. It's performed by Doucette (as Lincoln), Cavallo (Secretary of War Edward Stanton), Dave Marsh (the Narrator), Shawn Doyle (General McClellan), Heide Lee (Mary Lincoln), Ekello Harrid (in the dual roles of the President's secretary and George, a slave), Tarra Cariaso (George's lover), and Gordon Holder (John Wilkes Booth).
Copyright 1995 ShowMusic

CD Music Clips

Hi-Fidelity Stereo CD Recordings create very large digital files that are not suitable for downloading. The edited multi-song samples presented here have been reduced to MONO with 11 Kilobytes samples/second and 8 bit resolution. Each sample is approximately 30 seconds long.

MP3 Files for several songs are listed below. Song samples are about one minute long.

Where To Buy

Footlight Records Large, in stock selection of original cast and film soundtracks. Mail and phone orders accepted (212)533-1572 Fax: (212)673-1496 113 E. 12th Street, New York, N.Y. 1003 Email: footlight@aol.com Website: www.footlight.com

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Related Sites

Jill Hobgood's   Theatricopia

Kathie Fraser's   Civil War Music & Poetry

Jim Janke's   The Civil War: Resources on the Internet

American Civil War  Portal Web Site

Rhoda Snellar's   Lincoln Online

Henry Sachwald's   Theatretrack

Don Linke's   Rock Musicals

Musicals   Net

London Theatre   Cast Recording Lists

Playbill Online   Magazine

About-Arts Theatre Resources   Musicals Related Web Sites

Open Here Performing Arts   Musicals Related Web Sites

Z - Productions Listings   Musicals Related Web Sites

Musical Theatre   Musical Theatre List

Steve Ekblad's   Audio Related Internet Web & FTP Sites