Leo has more on his plate than he can handle. He is a speechwriter for an endangered mediocre Congressman, in the final month before a do-or-die mid-term election. His new boss Carla is a dominating message maven who has been brought in from the corporate world to try and save the campaign. And his brother Francis is a psychiatric outpatient recently released from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, despite having a powerful delusion that he is Abraham Lincoln. Desperate for inspiration, Leo turns to Francis for help writing “lincolnesque” speeches, hoping that Lincoln’s transformative oratory will revive his boss’s career.
An audience favorite when Keegan first produced it in 2009, LINCOLNESQUE by John Strand, the DC playwright behind THE ORIGINALIST and more, is at turns hilarious and heartwarming, an insightful, whip-smart exploration of where we find our hope, and the power of language to both divide and unite.
The Washington Post Review
“The widely lamented awfulness of right now is why the Dupont Circle troupe Keegan Theatre has brought back [John Strand’s] “Lincolnesque,” a dark fantasy about a noble speechwriter who breaks down and starts channeling Abraham Lincoln’s loftiest prose.”
Washington City Paper Review
“The Keegan previously staged Lincolnesque in 2009 and company stalwarts [Michael] Innocenti, [Susan Marie] Rhea, and [Stan] Shulman seem to relish revisiting their roles in this new Colin Smith-directed production.”
DC Metro Theater Arts Review
“In Lincolnesque, a play written by John Strand and directed by Colin Smith, the art of lying for one’s country succeeds in fusing a deceptively light touch and inside-the-Beltway political humor with profoundly deep messaging that goes straight to the heart.”
DC Theatre Scene Review
“Lincolnesque is a look back at a man and a time and a look at the here and now, when the high-minded words and ethics—integrity, honor— of the 16th President are seen as an innovative take on politicking. The script is funny, full of long runs of dialogue barbed with truths that catch your breath and make you chuckle.”
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract.
+ United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE is the union representing Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound and Projection designers in Live Performance. www.usa829.org
