“Drummer Boy,” a musical set during the American Revolution, opens at the Farmington Civic Theater on Friday, Nov. 6.
The film follows two brothers who land on opposite sides of the war. Their loyalties to family collide with the fight for independence, and the story turns on whether forgiveness can survive the battlefield. A parallel storyline centers on an enslaved woman named Emmaline searching for her own freedom.
Joel Smallbone stars in and co-directed the film with his brother Ben Smallbone, according to the film’s Angel Studios page. Joel Smallbone is one half of For King & Country, the four-time Grammy Award-winning Christian pop duo he shares with another brother, Luke Smallbone. The screenplay is by Richard L. Ramsey, according to Angel’s announcement.
The cast also includes Lucas Leach, who plays Joel Smallbone’s on-screen brother and rival, along with India Brown, Melora Hardin, Charles Esten and Ioan Gruffudd, according to Angel Studios.
The project took about eight years to develop, according to the same studio announcement. Joel Smallbone told The National News Desk in an interview published by CBS 12 that working on the movie helped him reconcile with Ben after a period of estrangement.
Joel Smallbone described the film’s blend of genres: “It’s like ‘Hamilton’ meets ‘The Patriot’ meets ‘Pride and Prejudice.’”
Joel and Luke Smallbone are Australian-born immigrants who became U.S. citizens, according to Liberty University’s account of their Oct. 14 appearance. Joel Smallbone has connected the film’s themes to the country’s 250th anniversary of independence.
The Farmington Civic Theater’s showtimes page lists a 4:15 p.m. screening on Nov. 6. Residents can check the theater’s website for additional showtimes and ticket information.
