Ross Zentner
A scene from the Forward Theater production "46 Plays for America's First Ladies," with (left to right) Phoebe González, Nadja Simmonds and Matt Daniels.
Sequels are very rarely better than the original stories. But Forward Theater’s current production of 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies is a definite exception — it is even better than its predecessor and companion piece, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents. Written and developed by many of the same artists from Chicago’s Neo-Futurists (Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Sharon Greene, Chloe Johnston, Bilal Dardai and Andy Bayiates), this funny, inventive, sometimes poignant, sometimes bizarre, episodic variety show focuses on the women behind the men who have led our country over the past 200-plus years. A virtual performance that was filmed in the Overture’s Playhouse in front of a socially distanced live audience, the play is available to stream until May 23.
Beautifully directed by Forward Theater Artistic Director Jennifer Uphoff Gray, 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies is performed at breakneck speed by a flawless ensemble of diverse actors including Matt Daniels, Elyse Edelman, Phoebe González, Jamal James and Nadja Simmonds. It not only reintroduces audiences to some of the more accomplished and notorious women who have occupied the White House, it digs into the biographies of a lot of women who aren’t described at all in history books, other than saying they were married to one of the most powerful of the world’s leaders.
FTC performed 44 Plays back in 2012 as a patriotic refresher course just before the presidential election that saw Barack Obama win a second term by defeating Mitt Romney. Similarly the company had scheduled 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies last fall, coinciding with the 2020 election. (COVID intervened, of course.) But in some ways it’s more enjoyable to consider our past and future leadership at a time that is not quite so contentious, and when the current first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, still has a clean slate, and many possibilities for her office in front of her. Another advantage of postponing the production is that following all the necessary precautions, 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies was actually performed in front of a small, live audience. This gave the actors some real-time feedback for their antics and also allowed the cast to interact with audience members directly, as is built into the script.
For those patrons who saw FTC’s 44 Plays eight years ago, there are many pleasant call-backs in this production. Cast member Matt Daniels, who was fantastic in the first iteration, repeats his energetic, shape-shifting, musical turn this time around. He is right at home with the format and has no problem wearing both the red, white and blue scarf that signifies the president’s wife, as well as wearing the presidential coat — a costume piece that was omnipresent in the first production. Former 44 Plays cast member (and self-avowed presidential history nut) Marcella Kearns is also back, as the dramaturg for this play, rather than appearing onstage. With her knowledge of the genre and the source material, I am confident that no interesting historical footnote was left unexplored.
Sound designer and composer Joe Cerqua also returns to provide incidental music and the melodies for the many songs in the show, which run the gamut from bluesy ballads and a country hoedown to cabaret songs and folk-y duets. The musical pieces are a strong thread that helps keep the energy of the show up (“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” for Frances Cleveland is an unexpected delight) and also highlight the exceptional talents of the cast. Brian Cowing’s clever choreography in several numbers also adds immeasurably, bringing crisp dance moves and fanciful umbrella twirls to a show that also contains chaotic, almost nonsensical scenes to tell vastly different stories. Mike Lawler’s minimal set design makes great use of empty picture frames that characters can easily slip in and out of, and his functional bookcases contain cubbies to store dozens of props.
Make no mistake; this is not a “fair and balanced” look at our political past. Many of the sketches take a very partisan view of historic events, the positions of the first ladies, and the results of their actions or inaction on key issues — particularly women’s suffrage, the Equal Rights Amendment, the enslavement of Black people and America’s shameful treatment of Indigenous peoples. These social and political concerns of first ladies are further complicated with virtually unattainable expectations for those who hold an office that has never been clearly articulated or defined. In many ways, this play holds together dramatically much better than 44 Plays does, because it has these themes to build on.
Finally the play also drives home how incomplete our knowledge is of these extraordinary women — underlined by how brief each scene has to be, to sum up the lives of all 46 women in a little over two hours. Each vignette is just a stylized glimpse of complicated people who were spotlight-adjacent, whose images were often molded by the press, straight white male historians, and the whims of public opinion.
As for the plays themselves, they are as varied in tone, message and execution as the women they are based on. Some are surprising (Martha Washington is portrayed very differently from her usual role in DAR pageants). Others seem spot on, such as Lady Bird Johnson’s beautiful play focusing on her roadside beautification program, accompanied by gorgeous flower petals falling from the sky.
Some will challenge what you think you know about a first lady. The audience quiz debating Mary Todd Lincoln’s sanity and how Pat Nixon could excuse her husband’s crimes were insightful and touching. Some are cringeworthy in a good way, like when Elyse Edelman (as Martha Jefferson) and Jamal James (as Sally Hemings) both talk about their time in the White House — one as Jefferson’s wife and the other as his property. And the parallels between Dolley Madison and Michelle Obama (both portrayed with grace by Nadja Simmonds) are both intriguing and gorgeously staged.
The pairing of Grace Coolidge and her White House pet is hands-down the funniest sketch of the evening, thanks to Elyse Edelman’s incredibly expressive face. And the story of President Buchanan’s niece/de facto first lady Harriet Lane is the standout “why on earth have I never heard of this amazing woman before?” moment. Meanwhile, the implications of Bess Truman’s role in her husband's work is both shocking and sobering.
Particularly as the timeline comes closer to the present day, audience members may quibble with the way a first lady is portrayed because it doesn’t match up with their own memory or party sympathies. Hillary Clinton, Melania Trump, Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan are given particularly pointed and affecting, if sometimes reductive, portrayals. And it just wouldn’t be a Neo-Futurists show if a bunch of actors weren’t sitting around during one scene throwing pieces of bread at each other, reciting history while also stuffing their faces.
With Forward Theater’s delightful, challenging and smart production of 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies, we inch tantalizingly closer to the return of in-person performances. Be sure to stream this history lesson with a liberal conscience and then pick out your seat in The Playhouse so we can all plan to be in Overture to welcome Forward back to its stage. Soon.
