The Twilight Theatre of Peachtree City proudly presents “The Civil War” by Frank Wildhorn, this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14 and 15, at 8 p.m. at Charles Wadsworth Auditorium in Newnan. Additional play dates are Nov. 21 and 22, also at 8 p.m.

“The Civil War” is a dramatic musical event about the lives of people who lived during the single most defining period in American history, and for whom the war brought pride, sorrow, faith, freedom, despair, and death. It feeds upon the emotions in all of us and brings the true tragedy of war home. The play is a moving song-cycle that weaves an emotional tapestry from our nation’s history. The show draws on letters and speeches, and uses projections including actual photographs from the war. It is staged as a musical oratorio, leaving a traditional book behind. All of this brings the music and the subject material into sharp focus.

The powerful music in this show covers a wide range of emotions. The Union and Confederate armies sing of their excitement as they prepare to go into war and defend their respective causes. The enslaved sing of their pain and misery as they are sold as property. A soldier and his wife try to ease their separation by writing frequent letters. An abolitionist lobbies his cause, and expresses his frustration with both the injustice that his people suffer and the reluctance of President Lincoln and the Union to address it. A nurse reflects on the work that she is trying to do. Captains from the two armies grapple with the decisions that they must make, not only for themselves but for the soldiers who follow them. The enslaved join in rousing gospel numbers, keeping their hopes and their spirits alive despite everything that they endure.

The soldiers of both armies, gradually realizing the horrors of war, face despair, death, and defeat.

Directed by Tony Peregoy with vocal direction by Ellie Shelton and music direction by Laini Benefield, the cast includes Brian Lindsey, Trevor Comeau, Conrad Michels, Randy Wilcox, Gary Morgan, Thom Sandwich, Rede Hankinson, Jonathan Barb, Debra Smith, Matthew Bailey, Sujotta Pace, Spencer Luster, Robert Gould, Emily Sipe, Kelsi Adams, Lisa Boyd, Alison Chambers, Kristina Clark, Anna Kate Spears, Camille Edwards, Shannon Wade, and Paige McCauley.

For more information, questions, cast listing, and play description, please visit their web site at www.thetwilighttheatre.com.

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