SUNDAY, MAY 30, 2010
KLMNO
All the city’s their stage, and all of history their muse
‘Investigation: Detective McDevitt’
President Lincoln has been shot, and James McDevitt, a D.C. police detective, is on the case. So, apparently, are we. For nearly two hours, we trail Mike Feldsher, one of the three actors who rotate in the role of the his- torical cop, as he dissects the witness statements and disclos- es the names of possible partici- pants in the assassination and the apparently connected at- tempt on the life of Secretary of State William Seward. The Ford’s Theatre walking
SARAH L. VOISIN/THE WASHINGTON POST
THE FIRST FIRST LADY:Mary Wiseman, portraying Martha Washington, walks out in front of the mansion at Mount Vernon.
‘Meet Lady Washington’
In a cozy cottage on the estate of George Washington, a rosy-
cheeked woman wearing a bonnet and clutching a hanky sits on a platform, surrounded by period baubles: cameos and por- traits, a small vanity. But the most evocative presence is the lady herself. The benevolent spirit of Martha Washington is channeled with exquisite savoir-faire by Mary Wiseman, who honed her skills at “character interpretation” in 35 years at Williamsburg and now is regularly ensconced as Lady Wash- ington at Mount Vernon. “You are at the home of farmer Washington,” she tells us, be- fore asking for the home towns of the T-shirt-and-shorts crowd that casually wanders in. “We’re from North Dakota!” a woman
calls out from the back. “I’m not certain where that is,” Lady Washington replies. “Although I know the general is very inter- ested in western expansion.” Her conversation is unscripted, and yet this is an homage of depth and full-bore theatricality. It’s tantamount to an interac- tive one-woman show, and what you learn about this kind of historical performance is that a vibrant personality goes a long way toward fulfilling the expectations of the uninitiated. Visiting 6- and 7-year-olds perch themselves close to this wholly welcoming figure, to learn how properly to bow. Lady Washington doesn’t merely recite dates. “Civility: Think of the other person first,” she says in soothing tones.
If you want to go . . .
JAHI CHIKWENDIU/THE WASHINGTON POST
WALKING HISTORY LESSON: Actress Danielle
Drakes brings to life the time of Lincoln.
COURTESY OF FORD’S THEATRE SOCIETY
TWO PERSPECTIVES:
Michael Bunce and Stephen F. Schmidt in “One Destiny.”
‘One Destiny’
Young’uns in T-shirts started erupting in yawns about half- way through the 35-minute “One Destiny,” the most conven- tionally theatrical of the pieces I saw. And I really couldn’t blame them. The play at Ford’s Theatre, which runs frequently in June, once in July and then restarts in October, is a dry ac- count of the events leading up to the Lincoln assassination as seen through the eyes of theater co-owner Harry Ford and one of his actors, Harry Hawk. Stephen F. Schmidt, who por-
trays Ford, and Michael Bunce, who’s Hawk, are required to pull costumes out of a trunk and, assuming the identities of various people who were there, report on what happened April 14, 1865. (Snippets of “Our American Cousin,” the hoary comedy that was playing that evening, are also dramatized.) But it isn’t until Schmidt and Bunce get to the moment of the shooting that the drama ac- quires any urgency. The presentation’s most vivid moments occur, in fact, after the one-act play is over, and the actors open it up to a Q and A with the audience. Schmidt, in particular, displays an impres- sive knowledge of the assassi- nation. If ever the theater were to institute a Lincoln game show, he’d make a worthy first contestant.
David Mamet’s
AMERICAN BUFFALO
DIRECTED BY JOY ZINOMAN E X T E N D E D !
‘A Free Black Woman: Elizabeth Keckly’
It struck me, as we followed Drakes’s Keckly down 13th
Street and then along Pennsylvania Avenue, how difficult it must be, trying to conjure a woman and her 19th-century Washington, when so little of the architecture of her world remains. Here, after all, was Drakes in period costume, marching us past one modern edifice after another, and pointing out historic churches in the slim niches between 20th-century office and apartment buildings. And yet, she did it, by the sheer force of personality and
the dexterity of the storytelling. (Her script is by Jennifer L. Nelson; the performance is directed by Patrick Torres.) Certainly, Keckly’s biography is extraordinary: You spend a good portion of your time with Drakes, trying to imagine what it would have been like to have emerged from slavery, established a notable business and become a confidant to a first lady. In the end, the buoyant results are more than an engag- ing chapter of history, working its magic. Just as important is the alchemy of inspired casting. That, any director will tell you, is a sure path to good theater — no matter where it takes place.
marksp@washpost.com
“Join the Student Sit-Ins” is
presented at the National Museum of American History on Thursdays through Mondays in June at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30, 3 and 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. For information, visit www.
americanhistory.si.edu/events/ index.cfm.
“A Free Black Woman:
Elizabeth Keckly” is conducted at 7 p.m. Saturdays in June through August, leaving from outside Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. (No tours June 5 or July 3.) Tickets are $12. For reservations, call 202-397-SEAT (7328) or visit
www.fords.org.
“Investigation: Detective
McDevitt” is conducted Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in June through August at 6:30 p.m., leaving from Ford’s. (An additional tour is at 10:15 a.m. July 3.) Tickets are $12. For reservations, call 202-397-SEAT (7328) or visit
www.fords.org. “One Destiny” is performed at Ford’s at 5:30 and 7 p.m. June 8 to 11 and 15 to 18 and at 5:30 p.m. June 12 and 19. Additional performances are at 10:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. June 29 and July 15. Performances resume in mid-October. Tickets are $5. Visit
www.fords.org.
Visitors to Mount Vernon can meet “Lady Washington” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays. (The estate warns that the schedule can vary.) The admission ticket to the estate gains you access. Visit www.
mountvernon.org.
tour, which covers a 1.7-mile cir- cuit of downtown, is a more ex- position-dependent bit of thea- ter than some of the other events. Written by Richard Hel- lesen and directed by Mark Ra- mont — yes, it’s that meticu- lously steered — the tour doesn’t hinge quite so heavily on the personality of the main character. We get to know much more about the shadowy con- spirators, the Booths and Span- glers and Surratts, than we do about McDevitt. Still, in a bowler hat and pin- stripe pants smudged with dirt in the way a close-to-the- ground gumshoe’s clothing might be, the nattily formal Feldsher makes this far more than a “there, on your left” kind of excursion. I’m not an assassi- nation buff, so by the time we are delving into the motives and whereabouts of suspects 7 and 8, I’m needily eyeing one of the many cappuccino places we pass on theway to our final des- tination, Lafayette Square. And yet, the incidental fac- toids dropped along the way kept me going. Who knew Lin- coln’s son Tad learned of his fa- ther’s shooting while attending a version of “Aladdin” at the Na- tional Theatre?
on
washingtonpost.com
History on stage
Find additional examples of history and stage colliding with
a photo gallery at
washingtonpost.com /style. And for more tour itineraries and tips for exploring D.C., visit
goingoutguide.com/visitors.
HUGH TALMAN
SIT-IN: S. Xavier Carnegie plays a civil rights activist.
‘Join the Student Sit-Ins’
The set could not be any more stirring. On the second floor of the National Museum of American History resides the lunch counter from the Wool- worth’s in Greensboro, N.C., where, in a pivotal event of the civil rights movement, four black college students were ar- rested Feb. 1, 1960, for sitting in a section reserved for whites. At this spot, several times a week, the institution sets up benches and stages a half-hour play by Christopher Wilson and Jamila Lewis, in which an activist of the time briefs potential re- cruits in the basics of nonvio- lent resistance. We museumgoers are the rookies, repeating the slogans and singing the civil rights songs taught to us by Azania Dungee, the young actress who plays Diane Lawson, a compos- ite of several actual protesters. (S. Xavier Carnegie plays the trainer at other performances.) To replicate the pressure and in- timidation the four men experi- enced, four audience members are recruited to portray them as the rest of us menacingly pack ourselves around them. “My friends and classmates are tired of waiting for change to come!” says the preternatu- rally poised Dungee, as she helps us to understand that pas- sive resistance is not so passive. Along with the actress’s compel- ling presence, it is the passion- ate pitch of the songs — “I’m on my way to freedom land,” we sing — and the stark power of that counter that elevate “Join the Student Sit-Ins” above the level of by-the-book instruction.
“Ballet Across America is a success, not least in audience terms. More, please.”
–The New York Times (2008)
E3
June 15–20 Opera House
PROGRAM A
Tue., June 15* &Wed., June 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Houston Ballet
Stanton Welch, Artistic Director
Falling (WELCH/MOZART)
The Suzanne Farrell Ballet
Suzanne Farrell, Artistic Director
Monumentum Pro Gesualdo and
Movements for Piano & Orchestra
(BALANCHINE/STRAVINSKY)
WASHINGTON DEBUT
North Carolina Dance Theatre
Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Artistic Director
Shindig
(BONNEFOUX/TRADITIONAL BLUEGRASS)
Arts Across America is made possible through the generosity of the Charles E. Smith Family Foundation.
The Kennedy Center Ballet Season is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc.
PROGRAM B
Thu., June 17* at 7:30 p.m.
and Sat., June 19 at 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.
WASHINGTON DEBUT
Ballet Memphis
Dorothy Gunther Pugh,
Founder and Artistic Director
In Dreams (MCINTYRE/ORBISON)
WASHINGTON DEBUT
Ballet Arizona
Ib Andersen, Artistic Director
Diversions (ANDERSEN/BRITTEN)
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Peter Boal, Artistic Director
3 Movements (MILLEPIED/REICH)
PROGRAM C
Fri., June 18* at 7:30 p.m and Sun., June 20 at 1:30 p.m.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Tom Mossbrucker, Artistic Director
Red Sweet (ELO/VIVALDI AND BIBER)
WASHINGTON DEBUT
Tulsa Ballet
Additional support is provided by Elizabeth and Michael Kojaian.
Tickets from $29 at the Box Office or charge
by phone (202) 467-4600
Online at
kennedy-center.org
Groups (202) 416-8400 | TTY (202) 416-8524
*
Marcello Angelini, Artistic Director
Por Vos Muero
(DUATO/OLD SPANISH MUSIC)
The Joffrey Ballet
Ashley Wheater, Artistic Director
Age of Innocence
(LIANG/GLASS AND NEWMAN)
Explore the Arts: Free post-performance
discussion with company Artistic Directors
NORTH CAROLINA DANCE THEATRE, PHOTO BY JEFF CRAVOTTA
STUDIOTHEATRE.ORG 202-332-3300
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