631. Will "3 Summers of Lincoln" Make It to Broadway?

In the first episode of the series, we heard about the creation of a new musical called Three Summers of Lincoln, as in Abraham Lincoln. The show is set during the Civil War and centers around Lincoln's relationship with the abolitionist Frederick. Douglas. The producers Alan Shore and Richard Winkler commissioned the playwright Joe Di Pietro to write the script. He brought along Daniel Watts as his co-lyricist and then the composer Crystal Monet Hall.

After three years of development, the Lincoln team held some workshop performances in New York. that persuaded them they were ready to give the show its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. Or at least almost ready. I just felt the narrative at the beginning wasn't as sharp as the rest of the show. That's di Pietro.

The challenge in a musical like this is you're telling an epic story. I mean how many different versions of the Civil War could you write? There needs to be a spine to it. How can we have the spine as clear as quickly as possible? We felt, for instance, that the character of Mary Lincoln, she wasn't in the score as much, especially given the actress who is going to play that role.

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