"Abe Lincoln and Uncle Tom in the White House" by Carlyle Brown and Company at the Guthrie Theater

Like the last play I saw in the Guthrie studio, the new play Abe Lincoln and Uncle Tom in the White House, written and directed by Carlyle Brown, is an imagined conversation between two men in history (or in this case, literature). On the eve of signing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln receives a visit in his White House office from the fictional character Uncle Tom from Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, written in 1852 as a protest against slavery. Abe and Tom discuss slavery and what its end would mean, as well as issues of grief, loss, and faith. It's a fascinating new way to look at an age-old issue - the continuing effect of slavery on this country.

Although the phrase "Uncle Tom" has a negative connotation today as a submissive black man, at the time the book was published Uncle Tom was seen as "a noble hero and praiseworthy person." That is the version of Uncle Tom we see in this play, as he encourages Lincoln to sign the Proclamation, despite his doubts about what it will achieve. It feels like a real conversation between two equals who understand and respect each other. The two men are interrupted by Lincoln's grieving wife and her seamstress/confidante Elizabeth, showing Lincoln's human side as he continues to grieve his son and try to comfort his wife in her grief.

President Lincoln and Uncle Tom share a toast
(Steve Hendrickson and James A. Williams)

This four-person cast is stellar, each one well-suited to their role. Steve Hendrickson is a most excellent Lincoln; he's just how we imagine him to be, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. James A. Williams is his equal as he conveys Tom's confusion at how he ended up here, as well as his strong faith and human dignity that allow him to survive. India Gurley has the least developed role as Elizabeth, but she's there to support her friend. Last but not least, Jodi Kellogg is outstanding as the fragile Mrs. Lincoln, all raw nerves and desperation as she tries to make sense of what her life has become.

The look of the president's White House office is efficiently achieved with just a few set pieces. Three large white frame windows hang in mid-air to represent one wall, with grand white doors opposite them. Just a desk, sofa, and two chairs adorn the space along with a few rugs (set design by Joseph Stanley).

This brief look into the life of Lincoln, a president we know so well, and Uncle Tom, a fictional character we think we know so well, offers a fresh perspective and an opportunity to explore some important issues in a new way. I've never read Uncle Tom's Cabin but I'm now intrigued, and might have to pick it up sometime. In the meantime, you can visit Abe Lincoln and Uncle Tom in the White House in the Guthrie's Dowling Studio from now through April 6.

"Mary T. and Lizzy K." at Park Square Theatre

Mary Todd Lincoln, the wife of President Abraham Lincoln, has a reputation in American history as being difficult and, well, somewhat crazy. Last year's hit movie Lincoln gave us a more sympathetic portrait of this woman who not only lived in the public eye during the Civil War, but also suffered the deaths of three of her four sons and her husband. The new play Mary T. and Lizzy K. by Tazewell Thompson gives us yet another view of this fascinating woman through her friendship with her seamstress Elizabeth Keckly, a former slave who bought her freedom and became dressmaker for the most famous woman in America. It's a small and intimate play, with just four characters in a room talking (we also meet Lincoln and Lizzy's young assistant). But through the performances of these four wonderful actors, the world of the Lincolns is brought to life for a short time on the Park Square stage.

The play takes place on the day of Lincoln's assassination, when the couple is planning a trip to the theater, unaware of the real tragedy that awaits them at Ford's Theatre. The play also flashes forward to when Mary is institutionalized by her son and receives a visit from Lizzy, who was written a book about their time together which has angered Mary. But on that day in 1865, things were relatively happy. Lizzy (another strong performance by Shá Cage) is making a new dress for Mary (Linda Kelsey, beautifully portraying the range of Mary's emotions and moods), with the help of her assistant, the eager young Ivy (Nike Kadri, shining in the light-hearted moments of the youth and sympathetic in her stories of abuse). Abe (Stephen D'Ambrose, with a quiet dignity and congeniality) stops in to visit his wife. They are still mourning the death of their son just a few years earlier, and dealing with the aftermath of the Civil War which has only recently ended, with great cost to both sides. There's a genuine love and affection between the two of them, despite the fact that Mary flies off the handle at the slightest provocation, met with kindness and understanding from her husband. Lizzy tells Ivy to ignore these incidents and continue her work. Lizzy is Mary's friend and confidante, but the relationship is not without its problems. Mary has not paid Lizzy for any of her work, and Lizzy has in turn not paid Ivy. Ivy, who has suffered greatly in her time as a slave, insists that Lizzy pay her with her cloak and hat, so that she too can feel the pride of being a free person who is paid for her work. All four of these distinctly drawn characters have a story to tell.

The set (the third one designed by Michael Hoover that I've seen in as many weeks) is simple and effective, with four stately columns and four tall panels with a door in each, and just a few chairs and tables in the space. Extras in period clothing open and close doors, cover furniture, and make other slight changes in arrangement to signal the change of time and location. Clothing is a central part of this play, and the costumes (by Merrily Murray-Walsh, who also designed the costumes for the original production at the Arena Stage in D.C.) live up to that importance. In the first act Lizzy and Ivy construct a dress before our very eyes, placing and pinning pieces on Mary, beginning with a large hoop skirt. The finished work is even more impressive, as are all of the dresses, shawls, cloaks, hats, and suits we see on stage.

Mary T. and Lizzy K. is a fascinating look at a pivotal time in American history through the eyes of four characters (three of them based on real people). You, too, can enter the world of the Lincolns from now through November 10 at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul.

 
Mary T. & Lizzy K. from Park Square Theatre on Vimeo.

"Appomattox" at the Guthrie Theater

The Guthrie Theater is opening their 50th anniversary season with three plays by British playwright Christopher Hampton (author of the play and movie version of Dangerous Liaisons). Tales from Hollywood, a dark comedy about exiled Germans in Hollywood in the 1930s, is playing on the Thrust stage. Embers, "a fascinating study of passion (love and hate), truth, friendship, the urge to be the stronger and the need to survive," is playing in the nine floor Studio Theater. I'll see both of these plays in a few weeks, but I began Hampton-fest with the new drama Appomattox, playing on the Proscenium stage. It's an epic historical drama that tells about two important moments in our nation's history - the surrender of the Confederacy in 1865 at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act a century later. With a running time of three hours (including one intermission), it's a long play and a heavy one. At times it feels long, but it's also a fascinating look at our history with impeccable staging, sets, and costumes.

The play is structured in two acts that are almost like two separate plays, but with related themes and the same cast of actors playing a character (or two) in each act. It's a little like the repertoire days of old at the Guthrie. The first act centers on battles of the Civil War, while the second act centers on legal and political battles for Civil Rights. The play draws parallels between the two periods, aided by the fact that often the same actor plays related characters in each act. Harry Groener plays President Lincoln and President Johnson, two very different men but both effective proponents of Civil Rights. Harry really provides a center to the play. His portrayal of LBJ is incredibly engaging and charismatic - he is quite a colorful character, speaking with frank language and funny and folksy metaphors. Mark Benninghofen is a grounding force playing both presidents' right-hand man - General Grant and attorney general Nicholas Katzenbach. The divine Sally Wingert plays both first ladies, who are about as different as the two presidents. One a bit crazy and dramatic, the other more sane and strong, but both sharing their opinions with their husbands about how the country should be run. The cast is huge and features many fine performances, some quite brief, including Joe Nathan Thomas as Frederick Douglass and Shawn Hamilton as Martin Luther King, Jr. The play ends with a short scene in the present, showing us that the past isn't that far behind us.

The Guthrie does period pieces like no other. Scenes and set pieces move in and out on sliding panels, with actors freezing at the end of scenes, like moving historical tableaus. The costumes are perfection, especially in the first act - military uniforms and hoop skirted concoctions that look good enough to eat! Photos are projected on the back wall of the stage, showing scenes of war or riots, or providing a backdrop for the action.

I remember my high school history teacher saying that when the authors of the Declaration of Independence wrote "all men are created equal," what they really meant was that all white property-owning men aged 21 and over are created equal. The last 240 years has been about expanding that narrow category until all people truly are equal under the law, and we're not quite there yet. On the night I attended Appomattox, there was a post-show discussion featuring experts on human rights. Much of the discussion centered on the Voter ID Amendment that will be voted on here in Minnesota in just a few short weeks, threatening to take away some of those rights that were fought for and won. Consider this exchange from The Daily Show between host Jon Stewart and "Senior Black Correspondent" Larry Wilmore:

Larry: How old is this country?
Jon: About 240
Larry: How long have black people been allowed to vote?
Jon: About 150
Larry: In Alabama?
Jon: About 48

48 years is a relatively short time in the history of this country. There are African American people alive today who can remember when they weren't able to vote. I can't imagine how that must feel as things start to move the other way again, towards exclusion rather than inclusion. Despite being a historical drama, the themes of this play are very timely. I'm not sure how a British man capture American history so well. The three plays in the Christopher Hampton celebration seem quite diverse. This American drama is pretty intense and thought-provoking; I look forward to seeing the other two plays.