What could be more meta, or more Washingtonian, than seeing a play about Abraham Lincoln performed at the site where he was infamously shot? Mister Lincoln played at Ford’s Theatre in 1980 and was brought back this season specifically to coincide with the election year. Watching the play, it’s impossible not to think of the history of the building, as well as the larger-than-life presence Lincoln occupies in the American imagination. The former president has become an avatar for American values and democracy, an impossible ideal for any future politician to live up to, but leading man Scott Bakula grounds the famous figure with an affable and affecting performance. Mister Lincoln doesn’t do much to move the president off his pedestal, but it does affirm that there’s an actual person and not just a statue up on that perch.
A billboard-size, fragmented portrait of Lincoln hangs above the stage, only one eye visible so that the president is perpetually winking at the audience. The setting is Lincoln’s mind, or maybe his notebook. Suspended slightly above the stage floor are hundreds of pieces of paper, emphasizing Lincoln as a writer and wordsmith. The script, which was updated from the original 1980 play by dramaturg Richard Hellesen, frequently pulls directly from Lincoln’s own speeches and writings.
The play opens with a brief introduction from Lincoln, who recounts the state of the nation and his presidency at the time he attended that fateful play at Ford’s Theatre. He turns and indicates the Presidential Box, just feet above the stage, which lights up with a dramatic burst, leading to what seems to be Lincoln’s life flashing before him. What follows is a stream-of-consciousness journey through Lincoln’s life and career as he reminisces. Sometimes this works to keep the story and timeline moving briskly; other times there’s the sensation of chatting with a family member who’s starting to suffer memory loss. “That reminds me of a story” is a common refrain to connect the dots to the next chapter, or just for Lincoln to introduce a non sequitur.
While Mister Lincoln serves as something of a greatest hits tour of Lincoln’s career, this walkthrough of his life and career will likely have some unexpected turns or insights to those who aren’t die-hard Lincoln fans. There are hints of the depression that at times overcame him, the anger he felt toward his adversaries, and the frustrations he felt toward the country he governed. Lincoln the writer was a bit of a humorist and a master of joke setups and punchlines, which garner big laughs. Bakula delivers them good-naturedly—and it’s a feat to land a joke about Reconstruction.
The play is a bit of a marathon for its star, with only one actor and only one unbroken act, Bakula is watchable and engaging all the way through, very occasionally tripping over a word or two. He’s aided by the soundscape designed by Sarah O’Halloran, with audio cues of boos and cheers and crowds tittering. He sometimes addresses the audience directly, and sometimes mimes conversations with his wife, Mary, or members of Congress. Bakula is especially effective when he’s directly beseeching God to give him guidance and in his conversations with his dead children.
In addition to embodying a warm and human figure behind the icon, Bakula visually inhabits the role well. Credit must be given to the hair and makeup team, which lend Bakula Lincoln’s distinctive beard and silhouette and make him a dead ringer for the 16th president. The costumes by Veronica Stevens help to situate the era and position of Lincoln’s career. Bakula spends a lot of time taking coats on and off, donning hats, untying neckties, and shaking out handkerchiefs, in order to quick-change from militiaman to prairie lawyer to a politician of increasing levels of power. Mister Lincoln is sure to attract tourists and school groups looking for a dose of history in the nation’s capital, but it delivers more than the average historical reenactment.
Mister Lincoln, written by Herbert Mitgang and directed by José Carrasquillo, runs through Oct. 13 at Ford’s Theatre. fords.org. $23–$59.