Liberty Smith

Liberty Smith Nominated for Six Helen Hayes Awards

dawnofliberty — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:02:50 +0000

On Monday, February 27, Liberty Smith was nominated for six Helen Hayes Awards, which acknowledge excellence in theatre in the Washington, DC, area. The Ford’s Theatre production of Liberty Smith, which opened on March 30, 2011, earned a nomination as Outstanding Resident Musical of the past year. The talented performers in the production also came in for recognition. Geoff Packard, who created the role of Liberty in the Ford’s Production, was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical, and Kelly Karbacz, who created the role of Emily, was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actress. Besides the two leads, the entire cast earned a nod as Outstanding Ensemble in a Resident Musical. Additional nominations went to Jay Crowder, for Outstanding Musical Direction, and Matt August, for Outstanding Director of a Resident Musical. The awards will be announced on April 23, 2012.

Liberty Smith at Ford’s Theater

dawnofliberty — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:02:28 +0000

Youʼd think that a new musical set during the Revolutionary War featuring a hero thatʼs somewhere between Forrest Gump and Zelig might be something of a risky undertaking for the Fordʼs Theatre company.

Fordʼs executive artistic director Paul Tetreault doesnʼt think so. Not even a little. “I think itʼs a terrific show. I love the whole idea, and I think itʼs perfect for us,” said Tetreault, who took over in 2004 after the death of founder Frankie Hewitt.

When Tetreault, who came to Fordʼs from the famed Alley Theater in Houston, talks, you tend to listen. So chances are that “Liberty Smith,” maybe Fordʼs biggest musical undertaking ever, may just be the audience-pleaser that Tetreault thinks it will be. Heʼs been right before…Read More.

Washington meets ‘Liberty Smith,’ the forgotten Founding Father

dawnofliberty — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:52:52 +0000

Thomas Jefferson took less than three weeks to write the Declaration of Independence. It took Marc Madnick, Eric R. Cohen, Adam Abraham and Michael Weiner more than a decade to write “Liberty Smith,” their musical about the Founding Fathers that is now playing in its world premiere at Ford’s Theatre.

The production is the tale of Liberty Smith, a fictional Founding Father, forgotten by history, who Forrest Gumps his way through the American Revolution. According to the plot, he’s the guy who really warned the colonies that the British were coming and the guy who really designed the American flag…Read More.

Fictional Founding Father Sings New Version of History

dawnofliberty — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:59:23 +0000

George Washington never claimed he couldn’t tell a lie. Benjamin Franklin didn’t fly a kite during his famous lightning experiment. And Paul Revere drank too much to make the famous midnight ride himself.

But there’s another revolutionary who does take credit for some pivotal moments in the country’s history. Even better, he sings about them.

Meet Liberty Smith, the forgotten Founding Father and fictional hero of a new musical of the same name at Ford’s Theatre…Read More.

Bringing Early American History to the Musical Stage: An Interview with Composer Michael Weiner

dawnofliberty — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:57:04 +0000

After he spent part of his childhood and teen years acting on iconic TV shows like The Wonder Years, Beverly Hills 90210, and Hanging with Mr. Cooper – with a brief recurring role as the earnestly clueless Kellogg “Cornflake” Lieberbaum on Fresh Prince of Bel Air – Los Angeles native Michael Weiner went on to study history at UCLA, a choice that prepared him well for his current job as composer of the score for a new musical about America’s founding era…Read More.

Cinderella Liberty: Making the Leap from Screenplay to Stage

dawnofliberty — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:54:27 +0000

The late, great Larry Gelbart used to say that if Hitler is alive, he hoped Der Fuehrer was out of town working on a new stage musical. That was not only funny but smart: The agony of birthing a never-before-seen tuner, as anyone who’s tried it knows, is directly proportional to the joy the show can bring to audiences. If it actually ends up work- ing, that is. Either way, the agony is real…Read More.

New musical ‘Liberty Smith,’ revival of ‘Sabrina Fair’ on tap at Ford’s Theatre

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:32:09 +0000

Ford’s Theatre will offer a world-premiere musical set in the Revolutionary War era, “Liberty Smith,” as part of its coming season, along with Horton Foote’s play “The Carpetbagger’s Children,” starring Washington theater lights Holly Twyford, Nancy Robinette and Kimberly Schraf.

The season will open with “Sabrina Fair” (Oct. 1-24) by Samuel A. Taylor, a 1950s society romance about a chauffeur’s daughter who grows up on an aristocratic family’s Long Island estate and falls for one, and then the other, of the family’s sons… Read More

Liberty Smith, a Musical Romp Through the Revolution, Will Premiere at Ford’s Theatre; Season Announced

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:28:44 +0000

Liberty Smith, the musical comedy set during the American Revolution and focusing on the “forgotten founding father,” will get its world premiere in Ford’s Theatre’s 2010-11 season in Washington, DC.

Ford’s Theatre Society director Paul Tetreault announced the slate on May 25. Liberty Smith, which has a title character connected to major names in the struggle for American independence, will play the historic venue March 23-May 21, 2011.

The musical comedy features music by Michael Weiner, lyrics by Adam Abraham and a book by Marc Madnick, Eric R. Cohen and Adam Abraham, based on an original story by Madnick and Cohen. Matt August will direct…Read More

‘Liberty Smith’ Turns History On Its Ear

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:27:58 +0000

Once in a while you have the good fortune of catching a musical in the works that reminds you how wonderful this art form can truly be. Such is the case with the abbreviated concert version of “Liberty Smith” which had two performances at the Beckett Theatre as part of NYMF on September 22.

History was never my strong subject growing up. I always preferred visiting places and learning “hands on” rather than from a textbook. Marc Madnick and Eric R. Cohen, co-writers of the book of “Liberty Smith” made learning fun…and funny. Michael Weiner and Adam Abraham add both pathos and clever wit to the show with their memorable toe-tapping music and lyrics respectively. Joe Calarco provided the swift directing… Read More

Ford’s Theatre 2010-2011 Theatre Season

AdnanJamil — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:20:46 +0000

Liberty Smith

music by Michael Weiner; lyrics by Adam Abraham

book by Marc Madnick , Eric R. Cohen and Adam Abraham

based on an Original Story by Marc Madnick and Eric R. Cohen

directed by Matt August

March 23-May 21, 2011

Ford’s Theatre presents the world premiere of Liberty Smith, a madcap musical romp through the American Revolution. A childhood friend of George Washington, apprentice to Benjamin Franklin and linked to Paul Revere’s remarkable ride, the illusive Liberty Smith weaves his way through familiar tales of a young nation. Rife with melody and blazing with adventure, Liberty Smith recalls the lush heyday of the American musical. Experience the birth of America through the eyes of our forgotten founding father Liberty Smith.