Ivan Hernandez (Dear Evan Hansen, Chicago) has replaced the previously reported Brian Stokes Mitchell in the title role of La Jolla Playhouse's upcoming world premiere of the new musical 3 Summers of Lincoln.
Directed by Tony winner Christopher Ashley, performances are scheduled for February 18–March 23, 2025, in the Playhouse's Mandell Weiss Theatre.
In a statement, Tony-winning Broadway favorite Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate; Ragtime) said, “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.”
Hernandez will join the previously announced Eric Anderson (The Great Gatsby) as George B. McClellan, Carmen Cusack (Bright Star, Flying Over Sunset) as Mary Todd Lincoln, and Quentin Earl Darrington (MJ: The Musical, Once On This Island) as Frederick Douglass.
Other new casting includes John-Andrew Morrison as William Slade and Saycon Sengbloh as Elizabeth Keckley, plus 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. Swings are Van Angelo, DeShawn Travis Bowens, Michael Samarie George, Michael Allan Haggerty, and Jaxon Smith.
3 Summers of Lincoln, which features a book by Joe DiPietro, lyrics by Daniel J. Watts and DiPietro, and music by Crystal Monee Hall, is set in summer 1862 as the Civil War has been raging for more than a year, and President Abraham Lincoln must find a way to end the conflict. 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. Watts co-choreographs with Jon Rua.
The upcoming production will also have scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Amanda Zieve, sound design by Jonathan Deans and Mike Tracey, projection design by David Bengali and Hana S. Kim, wig and hair design by Matthew Armentrout, music supervision by Wilkie Ferguson, music direction by Victoria Theodore, and orchestrations by Michael Thurber, with Ann James as the sensitivity specialist. Casting is by The Telsey Office's Rachel Hoffman and Jacole Kitchen.
The stage manager is James Latus, and the assistant stage managers are Alexa Burn and Monét Thibou.
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