If you wander by Tenth Street near Ford's Theatre one evening this summer
and notice a group of people following a costumed Civil War-era character
with a microphone by his or her mouth and a portable speaker strapped at the
waist, observe the level of attention the group is giving to the
stories their guide has to tell. If they seem enthralled, chances are
you are seeing one of the walking tours organized by Ford's with scripts by
playwrights Jennifer L. Nelson and Richard Hellesen. These tours, which take
place in the early evening, offer both visitors and locals an opportunity to
see Washington in a unique way - the way it appeared in the 1860s when civil
war raged, Abraham Lincoln and his followers ended slavery and the actor
John Wilkes Booth led a conspiracy that ended in the death of the President
and the bloody injury of the Secretary of State as the city celebrated the
end of the war. |
Storyline: Two different walking tours are offered. One conducted by an
actress in the character of free black woman Elizabeth Keckly who was a
friend, confident and seamstress to first lady Mary Todd Lincoln. She was
born into slavery, purchased her freedom and worked her way to success. The
other has an actor in the character of police detective James McDevitt who
tells the story of the investigation into the assassination of Abraham
Lincoln, stopping at many of the places that saw important events on that
night of April 14, 1865.Nelson,
well known throughout the Potomac Region not only for her work when she led
the African Continuum Theatre Company but for her output as a director and
playwright, has taken the memoirs of Elizabeth Keckly as the basis for the
tour which shows visitors what Washington was like during the Lincoln years
from the perspective of a well-connected free black woman. "Keckly" walks her
"guests" past her residence, her church and her shop while creating a
portrait of that war-crowded city with its overflow of soldiers both wounded
and battle-bound, its influx of escaped or freed former slaves fleeing the Confederacy, and its society of political office-seekers, office-holders
and their wives. Nelson taps into the depth of emotion that Keckly felt over
her emergence from slavery, the value of her freedom and the wonder at the
ability to carve out a life for herself with human dignity. A big part of
her success comes from the formality of her language, the precision of the
choice of words and the pure poetry and beauty of her phrases.
Hellesen, author of the two character play
One Destiny, about
what happened to Ford's Theater following the night of the assassination, uses a more flippant,
informal tone in his script for the tour led by a police detective. He
borrows the slightly caustic, wary and cynical persona we've come to
identify with detectives who have a familiarity with the sordid side of life
from all those film-noire and "Mike Hammer" movies. His text is filled
with details that even the moderately history-intrigued tourist will find
interesting. For those deeper into our town's and our country's past, the
walk is a chance to stock up on major matters and really intriguing trivia.
The performers reviewed were as different as the two
scripts. Danielle Drakes makes a gracious and welcoming woman of Elizabeth
Keckly, strutting with pride along the route covering 10th, 13th and J
Streets and New York and Pennsylvania Avenues NW. She shows her sense of
pride in the world she is sharing and puts a very human heart and face on
the nexus of slavery and freedom that makes the period 1861 - 1865 so
captivating for modern imaginations. Kip Pierson is more a pied piper
leading his charges along F Street to 7th Street then south to Pennsylvania
Avenue before heading for Lafayette Park. In between stops, he chats with
the adults and kids the kids, always remaining in character but referring to
modern matters with a bit of a wink.
A Free Black Woman: Elizabeth Keckly:
Written by Jennifer L. Nelson. Directed by Patrick Torres. Cast: Danielle
Drakes.
Investigation: Detective McDevitt: Written by Richard Hellesen.
Directed by Mark Ramont. Cast: Kip Pierson. |
