Spend an afternoon with Mr. Lincoln
Lincoln Presidential Library presents one-man play April 7 on the life of America’s greatest president
 

[April 05, 2019]  As the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s death approaches, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will celebrate his life with a one-man play that captures his humor, passion and heartache.

“Mr. Lincoln,” starring John O’Connor, takes the audience from Lincoln’s earliest days to his election to his death in 1865. It reverberates with the power of Lincoln’s words but also radiates the warmth of his wit.

The performance takes place at 3 p.m., Sunday, April 7.

Tickets are $12 for the general public or $10 for members of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation. For tickets, visit www.PresidentLincoln. illinois.gov  and click on “Special Event Reservations.” Tickets can also be purchased at the door.

“This is an example of great writing, direction and acting all coming together to make an unforgettable experience on stage, and John O’Connor completely inhabits the spirit of President Lincoln,” said Phil Funkenbusch, theater director at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

“It’s exciting, challenging, and humbling to portray this man for all the obvious reasons,” O’Connor said. “But most fascinating to me is the paradox that is Lincoln: He saved the Union, took vital steps toward ending slavery and explained himself with some of the more transcendent and enduring language ever spoken, and at the same time was just a regular man. He could be the neighbor down the street who happens to practice law downtown.” 

“Mr. Lincoln” was written by Herbert Mitgang. This performance is directed by Carly Shank.

The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum uses a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Visitors can see ghosts come to life on stage, watch TV coverage of the 1860 presidential election, roam through the Lincoln White House, experience booming cannons in a Civil War battle and come face to face with priceless original Lincoln artifacts.

The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents, photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov.

[Christopher Wills]