One hundred fifty years after the American Civil War erupted between the Northern and Southern states, “Civil War Voices: Songs and Memoirs of Five Extraordinary Lives” was performed at the University to commemorate those affected by the war and bring new perspectives to history.
Students, professors, and townspeople gathered at Pollak Theatre this past Sunday to hear the testimonies of Joe Harris, Elizabeth Keckley, Theo Perry, Harriet Perry, and Joshua Chamberlain through music.
Ten phenomenal actors and two flawless musicians brought history to life through their emotional portrayals of prominent events both large and small, as told through author James R. Harris’s play and composer Mark Hayes’s music.
The physical setting of the stage, though simple, was equally functional and symbolic. The stage was bordered by multiple American flags through all of its phases, as the actors sat or stood on and around wooden benches.
When scenes changed from one to another, it was subtle yet effective as the lights were altered, benches were moved, and, actors changed coats to transform themselves into other characters.
The women wore frilly patterned long dresses with hoop skirts, while the men were fashioned with suits. There were few props, one being bayonets that were nearly the size of the men in the show.
One of the most moving stories presented was that of Elizabeth Keckley, a woman who went from slavery to Mary Todd Lincoln’s seamstress and close friend.
In the beginning, she and her son George served a master in the South, until working as a small town seamstress and fundraising through clients, purchased their freedom with $1,200. George went on to attend college, and was initially refused entry into the Northern army, but was accepted after lying about his ancestry.
George died in battle, leaving Elizabeth alone. However, the Lincoln’s treated her as one of the family and following Lincoln’s death, Elizabeth stated, “No common mortal had died. The Moses of my people died at the moment of his triumph. The whole world bowed their heads in grief when Abraham Lincoln died.”
She also mentioned that the flags were black that day.
Another memorable story concerned the romance between Theo and Harriet Perry, a Texan couple. After Theo joined the rebels, the couple wrote letters back and forth the entire time Theo was fighting, spanning close to a year.
During his absence their daughter, referred to as Sugarlumpy, got sick and died, and their son Theo, was born. The children took a great toll on Harriet, but she was comforted by constantly reading Theo’s letters that were filled with sweet phrases like “home isn’t home without you” and “I’m coming back if I go 10,000 miles.”
Although it was predictable that he would not return home, her devastating reaction was enough to initiate tears in the eyes of some audience members.
Not all of the performance was somber. There was a humorous scene where Southern soldiers were “eating goober peas,” and inspiring scenes when slaves won their freedom. Included within this point were traditional songs like “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” and “Amazing Grace,” as well as original material.
There were times when both sides supported the same causes. This concept was illustrated best when the actors were split in half facing one another yelling, “God Save the South” and “God save the North.” They got their inspiration from the same places and were so convinced that God was on their side. Additionally, as time drew closer to the end of the war, everyone wanted peace. Hence 1895 became known as a “year of war and of peace.”
Ryan Kelly, freshman, joked “I was a little lost with the singing. It’s not as though the song and dance was in the journals!”
Anna Chamberlain, sophomore, enjoyed the performance greatly. She said, “I thought the show was quite interesting from what I expected. At first I thought it was going to be really boring with several drawn out monologues. However, when it turned out to be a musical I was really surprised and I enjoyed it. My favorite part was the songs between Theo and Harriet, seeing as I am a hopeless romantic at heart. I also liked that there was a character with the same name as me. I definitely learned from a new perspective than what I learned in school. This showed a more personal dynamic of the war, and their own personal feelings.”
The performance turned out to be an enlightening experience as the actors were beyond believable in their performances. I was glad to return to American history, however, the performance was a bit long peaking at just over two hours.
Overall, “Civil War Voices” brought a sense of reality to a generation unfamiliar with this unforgettable time in America that resulted in the death of 620,000 Americans, and the freedom of 4,000,000 African Americans.
PHOTO COURTESY of wolftrap.com
