John Strand's entertaining send-up of Beltway Politics Lincolnesque is receiving a masterful showing
at the Keegan Theatre in Arlington, VA (to 6/28). Director and Set Co-Designer Mark Rhea realizes the dramatic possibilities
of Mr. Strand's work and then some in this well-cast and well-acted play. The rapid pacing and quick scene changes
capture the crackling dialogue and action of the playwright's characters and their world.
Those familiar with the
movie Don Juan De Marco will recognize the motif of a mentally ill patient who believes he is the reincarnation of
a legendary historical figure and the hoops he has those close to him jump through in an effort to maintain the façade.
The play also employs the literary device of using an innocent or naïf, beyond corruption, who's in possession
of knowledge and an inner world denied to the rest of us.
Francis (Peter Finnegan), walks the walk, and talks
the talk of our former sixteenth president, down to frock coat and fuzzy chin. Recently released from a mental institution
into the care of his brother Leo (Michael Innocenti), a speechwriter for a forgettable incumbent congressman who is up for
reelection, Mr. Finnegan has all the posturing and attitude of the character down as he tellingly weaves a past world of war
and strife which increasingly sounds like the present. Mr. Innocenti plays Leo as a suitably wonkish though failed striver,
frantically balancing the increasing demands of his brother with those escalating in the workplace: a corporate outsider named
Carla (Susan Marie Rhea) has been brought in as chief of staff to breathe life into a failing campaign. And does she
ever! Ms. Rhea dominates the boards as her quick study character sorts out the political terrain, taking what she needs
and discarding the rest as she charges towards the winner's circle. Eyes ever on the prize, she is scream as she
takes Leo to bed (for his performance review!) and conspires with him to first plunder Lincoln's speeches for present
day usage; and when this slows, exploits his brother fully to get the ideas and issues needed to climb back into political
contention. When she gets done with Lincoln's assessment, you'll be checking the marble feet at the monument
for signs of clay!
Along the way two subplots develop around Francis, ultimately uniting the action: a despondent
friend, a street person, perhaps a paranoid schizophrenic, who plays along as his "secretary of war" named Edwin
(after Stanton), sees no light at the end of the tunnel and takes drastic measures; and the owner of the building Francis
works in, a Mr. Daly, who picks his brain to solve his marital problems as well as his political ones. Stan Shulman
does excellent double duty playing Edwin with a mordant wit, cascading downward, while his dapper Daly is all affability on
the surface but a calculating Machiavellian beneath. While ostensibly about Washington, if the rules of game and the
name of its chief practitioner, along with the nostalgia opined for the land of Lincoln, don't get you thinking about
Chicago-style politics, well, you're as out of touch as Francis. In case you missed it, Carla talks about a future campaign
where "We jump out to an early lead then we use the Internet to build massive grassroots financial support ..."
The minimal set uses ten white columns (Lincoln Logs!), five pairs of varying length, which are shifted
and repositioned between scenes, suggesting the subtly changing landscape dominated by politics. Audiovisuals set the
stage with images of the president at the Lincoln memorial and together with upbeat music between scenes, move the action
nicely along. The execution of the lighting was excellent. Rich Montgomery co-designed the set, but was solely responsible
for the design of the lighting, sound, and video. Bravo!
Dramaturgically, I thought the script did not make clear
upfront that the denouement was a fantasy: you find out about it, at the conclusion, in a stage direction. And the insertion
of a doctor, played so obviously by Ms. Rhea, seemed confusing. I would try either to stage the climatic scene
in some defining way, to separate it as a fantasy, or make the viewer aware in retrospect, when shifting to the hospital.
I'd dress Ms. Rhea in a wig and a pair of glasses.
Mr. Strand's story seems to pose the question:
who has the greater purchase on happiness and fulfillment, those who create an imaginary world as an escape from their reality
or those so engrossed in their workaday lives they are fully immersed in it? A question for our times ...
Sound
check: Low to moderate for the most part with some high sound levels during emotional outbursts of the characters
Program
notes: Average
Applause meter: Highly recommended, 4 hands
Runtime: 2 hours and 15 minutes with an intermission
Photo credit: Cristiano Rubio
