Review: Robert Sherwood’s Abe Lincoln in Illinois at Intiman Theatre
Playwright, Robert Sherwood was one of the most prolific writers of the 1930’s, he won the Pulitzers Prize for Drama on three different occasions; 1936, 1941 and in 1939 for Abe Lincoln in Illinois. He was a speechwriter and advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II. As a historian in 1949 he received a fourth Pulitzer prize for a biography, Roosevelt and Hopkins, an account of FDR’s foreign policy during World War II. It has been mentioned that Abe Lincoln in Illinois was his response to democratic ideals on the cusp of the Second World War.
The production features Erik Lochtefeld as Abe Lincoln, Mary Jane Gibson as Mary Todd Lincoln and R. Hamilton Wright as Stephen A. Douglas and an entire company of professional and effective actors from every generation of Seattle’s theatre community: Hans Altwies, Clayton Corzatte, Angela DiMarco, Allen Galli, Langston Emerson Guettinger, Russell Hodgkinson, Reginald Andre Jackson, Peter Dylan O’Connor, Hannah Robinson, Jose Rufino, Matt Shimkus, Richard Nguyen Sloniker, Adam Standley, Kate Wisniewski and musician John Ackermann.
This play covers the period of time from Abe Lincoln as a young man in the 1830’s up until 1861, when he is elected as President and leaves for Washington. This production is three hours long and I feel it needs that amount of time to tell the story. It starts out slow, laying the ground work for what history tells us about Abe Lincoln. He worked as a clerk, store owner, postmaster, lawyer and many different jobs and repeatedly failed at most of them. The actors in roles, both real and imaginary, establish Lincoln’s persona for what will follow him for the rest of his life. The play takes the time to show all sides of the struggle of the man from his moodiness and self-doubts to his possible hypochondria behavior. You begin to see someone who was self educated, deal with the slavery issue that was tearing this small nation apart. Some doubted that this nation could be held together at all and if it could, at what cost. During this time Abe Lincoln met and married Mary Todd, daughter of a banker, who was raised in relative comfort and refinement compared to Abe’s life. Mary Jane Gibson as Mary is very believable seeing her perform from the educated lady, who could speak French to her fragile mind that later causes issues in the marriage.
Erick Lochtefeld as Abe portrays a young lawyer who believes in the law and wants to uphold the law. Then how do you justify the Dred Scott decision? Mr. Lochtefeld is able to present the views of the time and as Lincoln ages so does his speeches in a manner that does justice to the “the Great Emancipator”. His debate with with Stephen Douglas and his farewell speech are thrilling to hear.
Abe Lincoln in Illinois is produced in the year of the Lincoln Bicentennial, Sherwood’s play is still timely and makes me wonder about greatness and about current events. Lincoln’s presidency was in a time of national struggle with slavery and the Civil War. Did events just come together and with him meeting them became a great president? Does struggle equate greatness? The play left me wanting to do more research. This play will inspire you to seek more knowledge.
Tickets to Abe Lincoln in Illinois are available now and range from $40 to $55. To support patrons in the current economy, throughout the season all adult tickets on Tuesday nights will be on sale for $25. Patrons 25 and under can purchase tickets to any performance for $10. For more info, visit www.intiman.org.
– Ethel W.
