Complete casting has been revealed for La Jolla Playhouse production of 3 Summers of Lincoln. Ivan Hernandez will play President Abraham Lincoln in its upcoming world premiere with book by Joe DiPietro; lyrics by Daniel J. Watts and Joe DiPietro; music by Crystal Monee Hall; choreography by Jon Rua and Daniel J. Watts; and directed by Christopher Ashley, the Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse.
The production will run February 18 – March 23, 2025 in the Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Theatre.
The cast features the previously-announced Broadway veterans Eric Anderson (Playhouse’s Fly, Broadway’s The Great Gatsby) as George B. McClellan; Carmen Cusack (Broadway’s Bright Star, Flying Over Sunset) as Mary Todd Lincoln; and Quentin Earl Darrington (Broadway’s MJ: The Musical, Once On This Island) as Frederick Douglass. They will be joined by Ivan Hernandez, along with John-Andrew Morrison as William Slade and Saycon Sengbloh as Elizabeth Keckley, and ensemble members Geno Carr, Alaman Diadhiou, Fernell Hogan, Jana Krumholtz, Bets Malone, Magic Mosley, Kent D’Angelo James Overshown, Noah Rivera, Naomi Tiana Rodgers, Evan Ruggiero, Nathan Salstone, Johnathan Tanner and Blake Zelesnikar, plus swings: Van Angelo, DeShawn Travis Bowens, Michael Samarie George, Michael Allan Haggerty and Jaxon Smith.
The creative team includes: Derek McLane, Scenic Designer; Toni-Leslie James, Costume Designer; Amanda Zieve, Lighting Designer; Jonathan Deans and Mike Tracey, Co-Sound Designers; David Bengali and Hana S. Kim, Co-Projection Designers; Matthew Armentrout, Wig and Hair Designer; Wilkie Ferguson, Music Supervisor; Victoria Theodore, Music Director; Michael Thurber, Orchestrator; Ann James, Sensitivity Specialist; The Telsey Office, Rachel Hoffman, CSA and Jacole Kitchen, Casting; James Latus, Stage Manager; Alexa Burn and Monét Thibou, Assistant Stage Managers.
“I cannot think of a better time in our society to bring this bold new work to our audiences,” said Ashley. “It is an honor to collaborate with this stellar cast and creative team on a world-premiere musical that spotlights a history-changing friendship through an extraordinary lens and soaring original music.”
3 Summers of Lincoln is a gripping new musical that tells the inspirational story of one of the most important friendships in our nation’s history, and a divided country coming together. Summer, 1862. President Abraham Lincoln must find a way to end the Civil War. Enter powerful abolitionist Frederick Douglass. If he can meet Lincoln face to face, he can help the president cement a vision of the future that ends slavery along with the war — all while preserving the Union. Just three meetings took place between the two men — pivotal conversations between two brilliant leaders that shaped the course of history. This is the sixth Playhouse collaboration between Joe DiPietro and Christopher Ashley (including the hit shows Babbitt and Memphis). Composer Crystal Monee Hall and lyricist Daniel J. Watts complete the multi-award-winning creative team. With an epic original score blending gospel, R&B and powerhouse anthems, 3 Summers of Lincoln is the next unmissable world premiere from La Jolla Playhouse.
The production had originally been announced with Brian Stokes Mitchell in the title role. Mitchell stated, “It is with great regret that due to a personal matter I will be unable to join 3 Summers of Lincoln at La Jolla Playhouse within the timeframe of the production.”
About La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a place where artists and audiences come together to create what’s new and next in the American theatre, from Tony Award-winning productions, to imaginative programs for young audiences, to interactive experiences outside our theatre walls. Founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, the Playhouse is currently led by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley, the Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse, and Managing Director Debby Buchholz. The Playhouse is internationally renowned for the development of new works, including mounting 120 world premieres, commissioning 70 new works, and sending 36 productions to Broadway, garnering a total of 42 Tony Awards, as well as the 1993 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.
