Review: THE LINCOLN DEBATE at The Bent

The Lincoln Debate, an original play by Terry Ray, is a great concept: Debate the long bandied about “rumor” that Abraham Lincoln was gay or, at very least, bi-sexual, and throw in some comic re-enactments.

For those that pish posh and pshaw, the entire play gives you all of the facts, debates them as thoroughly as you can in a play, and encourages you to decide for yourself (although it’s clearly crafted to push you towards the rainbow). And Ray provides receipts in the form of multimedia. A delightful conceit is that when playing a character, the actor is physically unable to say something that is speculation. Generally our Guide fills us in on that, or a little catty gossip from another character/debater. So you get the facts, and the tea.

The Lincoln Debate’s ensemble plays the debaters, as well as four score of side players integral to our story, each having a turn as a leading character: Angela Landis as Mary Todd Lincoln, Alex Price as Joshua Speed, Amber Lux Archer as Fanny, and Jason Reale as Abraham Lincoln. Terry Ray is our on stage guide/narrator. 

My favorite recurring bit: Mary Todd’s jealousy of Joshua Speed as her rival for Lincoln’s log love. It had never even occurred to me that she may have known about his situationship. And there’s not just Speed to contend with, as it turns out, there’s a lot more to know about Lincoln. None of this is to expose the man, but what if we already had our first gay president, and he was our greatest? How fantastic would that be? 

I enjoyed the set design (Jason Reale) - the walls of presidents are great (especially the one photo), and the multimedia (Nick Wass) showed us actual photos of Lincoln’s letters, and the photos of young Lincoln and Speed? People, Joshua Speed was a beautiful young man. Even if Lincoln wasn’t gay, he’d hit it. We all would.  

This is the second staging of The Lincoln Debate. I saw and liked the first one - although I felt it could use some adjustments and some trimming. It’s still fun, but it still feels like it has a few adjustments, and trimming to go. There was enough informational repetition in the dialogue that I noticed, as did my handsome neighbor to the left. The lovely older woman to my right likely didn’t. She was having a nap. When her hubby roused her out of a snore, she was very attentive. Probably had a big dinner.

So, here’s what I was thinking while I was watching. The struggles Lincoln may have had over being in love with a man could have given us more poignant moments, where we felt something real. Angela Landis (Mary) gave us one of those, and I really appreciated the authenticity. Ray’s script is joke upon joke upon joke and some hit and more missed. It’s not that they aren’t funny, they just feel pushy. 

There is an old acting story about Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontaine. In the first run of their show he asked for a cup of tea, and got a laugh. It never happened again. He wondered why. Fontaine told him, “because you are no longer asking for a cup of tea, you’re asking for a laugh.” That’s what it feels like the whole production was doing.

It’s rare for me to say “less comedy, please” but here we are. The emotional connection between Lincoln and Joshua Speed is in all of Lincoln’s letters and while this is couched as a debate, and a madcap comedy, it would have been nice to see an actual love connection between the two men. I know he won an award for it last year, but in my opinion Reale’s delivery is more arrogance than sincerity. Maybe I missed that memo, but I expected something in the humble zone. He does hold a resemblance though. Price’s Speed felt more genuine and real, and his easygoing portrayal softened Lincoln’s oft bombastic demeanor.

The last time I saw Amber Lux Archer she was The Mute in CVRep’s The Fantastiks Reimagined. She was graceful and had a very expressive face. Her face continues to be expressive, and she plays multiple characters, but perhaps a little overdramatized. This is her first speaking role, so I’m looking forward to watching her growth.

Director Steve Rosenbaum has given us a production that has the same energy as a tv show I love called Adam Ruins Everything. It’s informational, skit-style humor, with some silliness. And that works on tv. For me, it’s less fun on the stage. It’s definitely full of fascinating information and maybe the styling will work for you. There’s no full frontal nudity in this one, but Lincoln and Speed do strip down to their skivvies a few times. It’s definitely not unpleasant.

All that being said, I did like it, I just wanted more dimension. But I suppose madcap comedy doesn’t lend to that. Just go see it. You might learn something, you’ll definitely laugh, and you’ll get to swoon over Lincoln’s (maybe) love, Joshua Speed. He’s so pretty! (Price isn’t too shabby either.)

*photo credit Jim Cox

The Bent at Palm Springs Cultural Center

Www.TheBent.org

5/10-12 for remaining shows 

The Lincoln Debate

Writer: Terry Ray

Director: Steve Rosenbaum

Tech, lights & sound: Nick Wass

Costume Designer: Cheryln Lanning

Stage Manager: Wilkinson

Arts Administrator: Kudra Wagner

Set Construction: Don McCormick

Assistant Costumer: Cynthia Sterling

Light board: Zoe Sanchez

Props: Steve Rosenbaum 

Graphics: Jason Reale

Volunteer: Joshua Friedman

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