There have been a handful of musicals about the American Civil War, but probably never one as eye-opening, entertaining, or emotionally powerful as The Civility Of Albert Cashier, the truth-is-stranger-than fiction Civil War musical now enthralling audiences at Burbank’s Colony Theatre.

The Albert Cashier in question is both the 60something army vet charged with impersonating an officer in a war fought a half-century earlier and the eighteen-year-old who enlisted in the Union army in 1852.

As Older Albert (Cidny Bullens) engages in a battle of wills with authoritarian Nurse Harriet Smith (Lisa Dyson) and brutish hospital worker Joe (Bret Calo), his mind drifts back to his younger self (Dani Shay) and the day young Albert set about joining Company G of the 95th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, only to be told that given his youth and slight stature, he can either serve as bugle boy or head on home.

Or at least this is Sergeant Collins’s (Josh Adamson) decision until Albert proves himself a sharpshooter extraordinaire and it becomes clear to the Sarge that he’s a “Bullet In A Gun” if there ever was one.

Fighting alongside Albert for the preservation of the Union are Jeffrey N. Davis (Blake Jenner), who quickly decides he want nothing more than to be Albert’s “possum buddy;” redneck Billy Middleton (John Bucy), proud to be named after the town he hails from; and self-taught African-American surgeon Hezekiah Ford Douglas, aka “H. Ford” (Cameron J. Armstrong), who’s not about to be told that “Negroes can’t serve with the whites.”

Meanwhile back in 1911, Albert finds emotional support from hospital attendant Booker Curtis (Phillip J. Lewis), a black man who dreams of moving to Chicago to become a singer-musician, and from his influential, well-to-do socialite cousin Abigail Lannon (Andrea Daveline), who threatens to involve Governor and Mrs. Lish if Albert isn’t treated with the kindness and respect he deserves.

As war rages on in the early 1860s and Albert sees friend after friend killed in battle, his older self is about to face the challenge of his life when it is discovered that …

Read with caution from this point on (or just stop reading and order tickets straight away) because it’s impossible to discuss The Civility Of Albert Cashier without revealing the reason Albert’s little-known true story merits retelling more than a century after his death.

Though Albert Cashier lived his entire adult life as a man, he was born Jenny Irene Hodgers.

It’s this LGBTQIA+ twist that makes The Civility Of Albert Cashier as relevant to the times we live in as any trans-centric film, novel, TV series, or play set in 2024.

It’s also as entertaining and tuneful and thrillingly performed as any musical theater aficionado could hope for, with one hummable song after another (music by Coyote Joe Stevens and Keaton Wooden and lyrics by Stevens, Wooden, and book writer Jay Paul Deratany), at least one foot-stomping show-stopper choreographed by Hayden J Frederick, and a couple of heartstring-tugging love stories to boot.

Richard Israel once again proves himself a master at directing a big-stage musical, making visually striking use of Mark Mendelson’s tent canvas-backed wood-scaffolding set while eliciting one pitch-perfect performance after another, in particular from his two Alberts, Bullens giving the elder Cashier plenty of ornery grit and Shay making the most charismatic of L.A. theater debuts as someone who knows from his earliest years who he is and won’t let anyone tell him otherwise, and the ideally matched pair harmonize quite heavenly to boot.

Box office draw Jenner (of Glee-and-beyond fame) gives us a Jeff who is sweetness and genuineness and charm personified, Bucy’s 6’4” farm boy Billy proves that even the most prejudiced among us can change, busy L.A. stage star Adamson reveals a leader’s strength and valor as Sergeant Collins, and Armstrong gives H. Ford equal parts quiet dignity and inner strength, all four men revealing triple-threat talents as they live and die for the Union.

Lewis’s Booker is a bona fide song-and-dance charmer, the divine Dyson could give Nurse Ratched lessons in how to be a hospital meanie, the lovely Daveline is the best and most supportive friend anyone could wish for, and El-Bashir is simply exquisite as the most loving of Army wives.

Last but not least, Tanner Berry (Recruiting Officer), Evan Borboa (Confederate Soldier 1), Brett Calo (Joe O’Connor), Michael Guarasci (Confederate Soldier 2), and Jonah Robinson (Hearing Officer) make the most of their cameo roles while adding their singer-dancer chops to Albert Cashier’s all-around terrific ensemble, their vocals expertly coached by music director Anthony Lucca.

Andrew Schemdake’s stunning lighting, Gabrieal Griego’s gorgeous projections, Rebecca Carr’s splendid period costumes, Michael O’Hara’s just-right Civil War-era props, and sound designer Robert Arturo Ramirez’s thrillingly gunfire-punctuated sound design are all absolutely topnotch, with assistant director Aaron Camitses’s fight choreography providing plenty of action along the way.

Anthony Zediker conducts the production’s terrific five-piece orchestra. Nichole Beeks is wardrobe supervisor. Wig and makeup design is by Judi Lewin.

Casting is by Robert J. Ulrich. Gabby Dahlen is understudy. Maddy Beadle is assistant choreographer. Shawna Voragen is production stage manager and Crispy Carrillo-Dono is assistant stage manager. Ken Werther is publicst.

Thrilling, edifying, and moving in equal measure, The Civility Of Albert Cashier has precisely what it takes to move beyond its current (and hopefully sold-out) run at the Colony. If you’re anything like this reviewer, you’ll love it so much, you’ll find yourself making plans to go back for more.

UNDERSTUDY UPDATE: Tanner Berry’s one-time-only performance as Older Albert proved revelatory on my return visit to the Colony on September 19, Berry playing the feisty older man with abundant warmth and dignity and singing the role with the most gorgeous of tenors, a feat I found even remarkable upon learning that 2000 college grad Berry (playing a man in his 60s) is a mere 26 years of age. As for the production itself, The Civility Of Albert Cashier held me as spellbound (and thoroughly entertained) as upon my first visit. It’s a must-see!

Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street, Burbank.
www.colonytheatre.org

–Steven Stanley
September 7. 2024
Photos: Ashley Erikson

Tags: Colony Theatre, Coyote Joe Stevens, Jay Paul Deratany, Keaton Wooden, Los Angeles Theater Review