Actress to take roles of witnesses to Lincoln’s assassination

[RJNorton]

MILFORD - The Pike County Historical Society and Museum is presenting a performance which will give insight to the stories of the three very different women that were in the Presidential Box the night of President Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s Theater in 1865.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, November 4 at The Columns Museum, 608 Broad St., Milford.

In a series of soliloquoys, performed by Patricia Durante and written by Lori Strelecki, the mindset and experiences of Laura Keene, Mary Todd Lincoln and Clara Harris will be brought to life.

The Museum is home to the famed Lincoln Flag. A large American flag, which was draped over the balustrade of the theater box were Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd, Clara Harris and Henry Rathbone sat during the ill fated performance of the play Our American Cousin -which starred Laura Keene- the night of April 14, 1865. As the night’s events unfolded, the outcome leaving a nation in shock, disbelief and eternal mourning, it is the profound and horrific effect one man’s actions had on these three women which are explored in the play

Durante is an established and polished performer with a diverse and impressive resume. She personifies each of the three women seamlessly yet distinctively as she relays their thoughts and feelings regarding the tragedy, and the toll it took on each of them in the moment and in the years to follow.

Strelecki’s scripts are pensive but not overly morose, insightful and with a wicked twist of sarcasm, at times. Durante translates the stories well, and leaves you with a better understanding of the characters and the strength they each possessed in the face of tragedy, and she does it with such ease and style that you may feel as if you met, and spent a bit of time with, Laura, Mary and Clara.



Costuming for the show will be done by Dixie Rich, with funding from Davis Chant.

The play will be performed at 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served after the show.

Tickets are $25 with proceeds going to the Museum’s fund to preserve the stage costumes in their Lincoln/Gourlay Collection and further the recent interest and research into their provenance for The Costume Society of America through Shippenburg University’s Institute of Fashion.

The Columns may be contacted at 570-296-8126.

http://www.neagle.com/news/20171009/actr...ssination 