THE MEMOIRS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
This is perfect timing for The Memoirs of Abraham Lincoln at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank since this month marks his 199th birthday! The play was written by Peter King Beach specifically for Granville Van Dusen who acts in this solo performance of Honest Abe with an exceptional quality of warmth and humor. He puts one in the frame of mind that they are actually watching Old Abe relating his story to them.
Interestingly enough, though we know a lot about Lincoln, there is much to be learned from this biographical tale. Lincoln himself tells about his birth to Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. He grew up in Indiana, a rather wild country at the time. He had no formal education, but somehow he learned to read and write.
He read everything that he could, was a self-educated man and, eventually, became a successful lawyer. Contrary to what many of us have heard, he adored Mary Todd whom he married when
he was 31 and she was not quite 21. They had four sons, but only one lived to maturity. As Van Dusen portrays this humble but proud man, telling how he rose from a country bumpkin to become a Senator, then the sixteenth President of the United States, his suffering over the plight of the Civil War and his hatred of slavery, his hold over his audience is uncanny. He may not have Lincoln’s height, but he reveals all other qualities of the man himself.
Originally directed by Delbert Mann (who unfortunately, passed away last November), the production is performed with his original direction with Falcon staging by Jenny Sullivan. The three-part set design is by Keith Mitchell. On one side there is a set-up of an office, on the opposite side is a podium in an outdoor setting, and in the center, a beautiful “marble” facade of The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. looking across to the Washington Monument. This background changes with pictures of events as Lincoln speaks, a marvelous stage setting. The lighting design is by Nick McCord, sound design by David Beaudry and lighting design by Nick McCord.
Plays Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., through March 2, 2008. For tickets, call (818) 955-804, ext. 133. The Falcon Theatre is located at 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA
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