A Lesson From Lincoln

Dan and I are lucky to enjoy a steady diet of amazing theater in San Diego, and a show we saw last weekend illustrates why La Jolla Playhouse is one of our favorite stages. Founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer, the theater located on the UCSD campus is always pushing the limits, introducing original shows, and adding to Broadway’s repertoire of adventurous new musicals, from Big River, to Memphis, and Come From Away. Last weekend we saw the latest show, a preview performance still being tweaked for a prime time audience. If it takes just a step or two in the right direction, it’s bound to be a blockbuster headed for Broadway. 

Directed by Tony-award winner Christopher Ashley, 3 SUMMERS OF LINCOLN is an ambitious period piece that looks and feels similar to HAMILTON. From the moment the curtain opens, the production is infused with powerful emotion, choreography, and music. The set design takes full advantage of technology for creative lighting and graphics in backdrops, bold and dramatic, familiar scenes authentic in execution and transitions. The revolving sets are minimalist, enhanced by the depictions of the White House, bloody battlefields, and a view of rolling hills at a soldiers’ home where the President and his family escape the politics of Washington for the.peace of the countryside.

Lincoln knows he’s losing the Civil War, the Union, and the presidency, all for good reason. Deaths are mounting exponentially, the Cabinet has abandoned him, McClellan is running against him for reelection after Lincoln fired the general for incompetence. At home, his wife, Mary, is seeing ghosts. The Civil War is a blood bath gone far too long. Public sentiment has slumped, and soldiers are confused. Are they fighting to restore the Union, as they thought, or to free the slaves?

Enter powerful abolitionist Frederick Douglass, a man of letters who proves a worthy match for the President’s intellect. Unlikely partners, they meet, and are surprised to discover mutual respect. Douglass encourages Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, allowing slaves to be free and volunteer to fight for the Union. In short order, Lincoln is exhilarated by a landslide victory for a second term, and Sherman's march to the sea ensures victory for the Union. The  rest unfolds in history books. 

A throbbing score and dance numbers propel the audience through a dramatic journey of this tragic period in American history. When it appears all is lost, Lincoln relies on his own instincts and better angels to end the war and free the slaves. 

Christopher Ashley has taken a big bite in directing and producing such an outsized exhibition of musical theater, and one is inclined think the next bite will surely be in the Big Apple!