Geffen Playhouse to Premiere HERSHEY FELDER IN ABE LINCOLN'S PIANO, Begin. Jan. 3, 2014

Hershey Felder in Abe Lincoln's Piano will have its world premiere in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse as a limited fifteen-performance engagement starting January 3, 2014. The acclaimed musician, composer and performer Hershey Felder has previously presented four hit productions in the Gil Cates Theater and just last year adapted and directedThe Pianist of Willesden Lane, which extended for several months in the intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse. Featuring an original score and book by Felder and directed by Trevor Hay, Abe Lincoln's Piano marks a return to the stage for the crowd-favorite with a work based on the timeless music of Stephen Foster including compositions such as "My Old Kentucky Home" and "Oh! Susanna."

Hershey Felder said, "Due to an association in two of my plays with America's greatest musicians, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, I was asked to visit the Chicago History Museum's attic where Abraham Lincoln's White House piano is stored; the mysteries that were revealed to me at that visit formed the basis of Abe Lincoln's Piano, a story full of surprises based on little known events of our country's extraordinary past."

How can one evening at the theater change history? The unfolding of events of April 14, 1865 did just that as the lives of those in the audience and those in our country would never be the same. Uncovering Abraham Lincoln's White House piano and many of the era's personalities to tell these stories best, Hershey Felder regales us with a stunningly new and insightful look at the artistry, politics and individuals surrounding that fateful night at Ford's Theatre. From vaudeville to minstrel shows to American hymns and songs of patriotism, Felder's signature storytelling and music reminds us of our collective history and how the history of the brave emboldens us all.

Hershey Felder in Abe Lincoln's Piano begins previews in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse on Friday, January 3 with an official opening on Saturday, January 4 at 8:00pm. This production is part of the Geffen Playhouse Spotlight Entertainment Series. Tickets are available in-person at the Geffen Playhouse box office, via phone at 310.208.5454 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.com.

Photo Credit: 88 Entertainment

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