It’s clear that as much as we know (or seem to know) about America’s past presidents, we tend to know a great deal less about their First Ladies. Madison, Wisconsin’s Forward Theater Company launches an ambitious project that gives us a brief glimpse of all of these women throughout history. The plays begin with Martha Washington and proceed chronologically.
In the show’s early moments, one of the characters makes the point that the “job” of First Lady doesn’t technically exist. Traditionally, the role has been a domestic one, consisting of caring for one’s family while in the White House while also serving as hostess to foreign dignitaries, etc.
But if that is your view of what a First Lady is, you are in for a rude awakening. During the play, we learn that some First Ladies embraced the role, while others hid from it. Occasionally, a wife dies and is replaced by a second First Lady. Sometimes, the duties of First Lady are supplied by a daughter, or a niece. With such a fluid structure to the “post” of First Lady, most (if not all) of them have configured the situation to suit themselves.
As one learns in 46 Plays, First Ladies are sometimes political confidants and advisors who are almost as powerful as the president himself. The reason so few people can appreciate this fact, according to the play, is because most First Ladies are forced to stand in their husband’s shadow. In one poignant scene, actor Elyse Edelman (playing a First Lady) sings a relatively upbeat song. But she ends it with the following lyric: “We found our way; I only had to lose myself.”
This production is part of a rolling world premiere. It was created in Chicago and opened there (virtually) last fall. The Forward Theater version features five actors from around the country. Two of them (Matt Daniels and Elyse Edelman) are from nearby Milwaukee. Jamal James is from New York City, while Phoebe Gonzalez is from Chicago and Nadja Simmons is originally from Ohio. (However, she formerly attended Marquette University in Milwaukee.) Forward Theater Company, now in their 12th season, is offering a filmed version of 46 Plays for virtual viewing through May 23. One would be amiss to let this history lesson pass you by. You are guaranteed to learn some surprising facts about these pivotal women.
The show consists of 46 separate plays, each one dedicated to a particular administration. Each segment ranges from about 30 seconds to four minutes. There is no intermission in this production, which lasts for more than two hours. Company administrators suggest in a preface that people may want to “build in” their own intermission by pausing the show.
Also part of the introduction is a segment where filmmakers “lead” the viewer inside Madison’s grand Overture Center. Several shots depict the (closed) box office and (empty) hallway leading to the theater where 46 Plays is to be performed. Although most of the seats inside the theater are empty, a small audience can be seen scattered throughout.
Thankfully, viewers are allowed to see the play unfold onstage, with all of the actors interacting with each other. There are even parts where the audience is summoned to help tell the story. The camera work is so deft that viewers can almost feel transported to the theater itself (credit to Dave Alcorn of Microtone Media).
Lest one think this is a dry history lesson, the creators have toiled diligently to be as creative and inventive as possible. Each vignette begins in the same way, featuring a formal portrait of a First Lady. From there, viewers should be ready for anything. One might be entertained by singing and dancing, haiku readings, dramatic scenes, stand-up comedy, puppetry, or slapstick comedy.
One of the cleverest bits involves the entire cast singing an a cappella version of the contemporary tune, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
There’s also a gender-bending component here. Often, the guys appear as the First Lady. The fact that two of the actors are African-American becomes particularly poignant at times. The irony is clear from the get-go, when a jubilant Martha Washington claims that she just loves slavery. Later, another First Lady points out that the first 10 First Ladies owned slaves.
One of them was the wife of Thomas Jefferson. In a clever twist, both Jefferson’s (white) wife and a slave named Sally Hemmings are represented. Sally tells the audience that she first became pregnant at 15, while she was serving the Jeffersons in Paris. (Another character mentions that the age of consent at that time was age 10.) Although Sally begged for her own freedom and that of her children, only the latter was granted. First, Jefferson died. Then Mrs. Jefferson agreed to free Sally upon her own death. But Sally never lived to see freedom; she died before Mrs. Jefferson.
Some vignettes point to the realities of life during their eras. For instance, Anna Harrison (1841) buried six children before her husband dies (just 30 days after taking office). Following these series of tragedies, Anna goes on to bury another three children. Sadly, this sad ceremony is repeated by other First Ladies in America’s early years.
One might have thought that Eleanor Roosevelt was the only First Lady to steer the country’s direction, but this notion is dashed early on. Eleanor, as older viewers may recall, is remembered for her work to fight poverty, increase access to education and support civil rights. She also was appointed as a delegate to the United Nations.
During another administration, James Buchanan’s niece served as the unmarried president’s First Lady. She acquired an extensive art collection, which was later given to the Smithsonian. She also developed the nation’s first pediatric hospital. However, like so many other First Ladies, she buried two sons.
All of the 46 plays take place on a round platform set atop a square stage (the uncluttered but effective scenic design is by Mike Lawler). Open bookcases near the back of the set contain elements used in certain scenes, such as an intricately decorated china plate, or an old-fashioned stuffed toy. Occasionally, actors deliver their lines from behind ornate, gilded picture frames.
Noele Stollmack’s superb lighting draws the audience’s attention to various parts of the set, creating a sense of intimacy. Further tying the disparate plays together is costume designer Shannon Heibler’s clever repetition of America’s colors – red, white and blue. The patriotic motif takes on many forms, serving variously as a headpiece, cravat, handkerchief, shawl, cape or skirt.
This fast-paced succession of plays is directed by Jen Uphoff Gray, the company’s artistic director. She manages to keep everything moving briskly without sacrificing a sense of spontaneity. While at times it may seem that the plays begin to take on a life of their own, Gray keeps it all in check.
