Interesting Day at the Old Surratt Hacienda

[KateH.]

A few "Wanderers," as the group members call themselves, visited the Mudd House and told us docents that they were not familiar with Manhunt or American Brutus. They mentioned how the show is "surreal" many times (that word, which should never be placed next to the word "historic," was also included on the advertisements). When one of the actors told me he was staying up the road from Mt. Olivet Cemetery, I mentioned how he was then also up the road from Congressional Cemetery. He proceeded to tell me he had never heard of such a place and asked who was buried there.

There will always be pieces like this that have more artistic value than factual value (and critics who appreciate that and give good reviews-the play has been nominated for some award at the festival). Unfortunately, all this makes the so-called "facts" seem even more legitimate and means that people who only know bits of the story or have only heard certain names in passing will come away with wrong information or believe there can only ever be one correct opinion. Be prepared to get some interesting questions (why did John Wilkes Booth carry around pictures of ladies?) on future tours.