By Leah Arington
A House Divided, Johnny Carson Theater, Tuesday September 17, 2024
A House Divided is a new work by Christina Kirk (UNL Professor of Theatre and Film). This world premier is part of the Lied Center’s Grow A Show program bringing new works to life here in Lincoln, Nebraska. Beyond these important efforts to celebrate fresh performing art, this particular show brings to light material that is also extremely poignant in our still now divided America.
When Mary Todd Lincoln’s confederate sister, Emilie Todd Helm visits with her daughter Katherine to help Mary grieve the loss of her son, the differing political views of the two families make the visit challenging to say the least. I suppose I felt a little better about my own reluctance to embrace family members and friends with different sets of values when it became clear that this fueled division has been going on since 1863. I digress…
Kirk’s script is well constructed and easy to follow. The actors do a good job overall and there were lots of wonderful moments for a Tuesday opening night.
Kent Joseph as Abraham Lincoln is honest and believable. He did not miss a moment to gain our trust or pull at our heart strings. Director, Timothy Scholl deserves credit here as well. His attention to detail is noted throughout. Lincoln’s assistant, John George Nicolay, played by Jordan Lockert was a highlight and the perfect fit. He created a passionately convicted and thoughtful balance with Lincoln. Francoise Traxler’s Emilie Todd Helm is potent and well done. She is a classy and sophisticated “villain” from beginning to end. Tammyra (Elizabeth Keckly) is a powerhouse of excellence and left me thinking about so many elements of the story and the disturbing history of our country. Patrick Lambrecht is worth noting as a standout. With far less stage time than most, he leaves a strong impression with his work as Ira Harris.
The effort to portray Mary Todd’s complex character was very evident in the opening night flubs and line misses, but was nonetheless successful. The transitions (lights, projections, chair moves and actor entrances) could use a bit of fine tuning, and I found myself wishing they could have been executed in costume to keep us more in the moment between scenes. The projection operator left us in the bedroom for a longer time than intended in the final scene of the show, for example, but these details are easy to forgive because the show as a whole was effective.
Luke Durban (4th Grade) and Alex Kellog (6th Grade) were charming as Tad and Katherine. As Alex’ voice teacher and director at Theatre Arts For Kids, I was so proud to see her shine in this environment and am so grateful that both Luke and Alex had this amazing opportunity to work on this exciting new work with consummate professionals.
Congratulations to Christina Kirk, Timothy Scholl and all cast and crew on creating a thoughtful and powerful piece of art!
For more information about this work, I encourage you to read the following article written during the staged reading in November of 2023.
If you go: A House Divided runs September 17-22 in the Johnny Carson Theater. Showtimes and tickets, including a Saturday webcast option can be found at https://www.liedcenter.org/event/house-divided.
Leah Arington is the Artistic Director for Theatre Arts For Kids in Lincoln, NE
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