Milwaukee’s Theater RED continues to surprise and delight local audiences with its eclectic play selection. Its current production takes on Angela Iannone’s play, This Prison Where I Live. Her title is taken from Shakespeare’s Richard II, , which Edwin Booth is rehearsing as the play begins. The setting is the late 1800s. Booth, in addition to being the most famous actor of his day, is also the brother of John Wilkes Booth. Sadly, it is Edwin’s brother who left a greater mark on the world by assassinating President Abraham Lincoln. (It is probably no coincidence that Lincoln’s murder happened in a theater, as both the Booth boys and their father made their living as actors. Theater was something this family knew intimately, which adds a dramatic touch to This Prison Where I Live.) Forever afterwards, Edwin Booth would become known to most people as the “other Booth.” The playwright brings this historical character vividly to life, as a man with many talents but also many guilty secrets. Iannone is well-known to Milwaukee audiences as an actor; much less so in the roles of director and playwright. She is to be commended for crafting a smart, witty play that follows historical fact yet is immensely entertaining. Even those with a scant knowledge of Shakespeare and/or Edwin Booth can easily follow the dramatic storyline.
Iannone’s own dramatic history is equally well-documented. As a Booth scholar, she is in the midst of creating an entire Edwin Booth cycle of plays. Last year, Theater RED presented another play from this same series, The Seeds of Banquo. The Theater RED production of This Prison Where I Live marks its Midwest premiere. In 2015, the show had it world premiere at Off-Broadway’s Titan Theatre.
The play cagily brings the Booth brothers together (the deceased John Wilkes appears to his brother like a bad dream that Edwin cannot shake). Their conversation ranges from nostalgia to the present. In life as in the play, Edwin will not tolerate his brother’s name to mentioned.
Surprisingly, some of John Wilkes’s frequent quips lighten the mood and hold the audience’s interest. John seems more interested in his brother’s life and career than dwelling on details about his plot against Lincoln. Returning to the concept of “prison,” the term takes on several meanings over the course of the play. Not only is Edwin’s character (Richard II) sitting in an actual prison (which is superbly lit by Alan Piotrowitz), he is imprisoned by guilty thoughts of his deceased first wife, as well as his deceased brother. Taking this concept one step further, Edwin is also “trapped” (i.e., imprisoned) in a marriage contract that he keenly regrets making.
All these characters—both living and dead—are an integral part of the tale. As John Wilkes Booth, Cory Jefferson Hagen allows us to view someone very different than what one would expect from a killer. Dressed as a charming Southerner (in one of Leah Dueno’s costumes), Jefferson Hagen is equally adept at charming the audience with his lighthearted manner. It’s tempting to forget what Edwin calls John’s “mad act” changed the course of history forever. Others in the cast are equally fine, including Andrea Burkholder as Mollie, Edwin’s first wife. Edwin never came to grips with the fact that he ignored frequent telegrams urging him to leave New York and come to his sick wife’s bedside. By the time he eventually arrives, his wife was already dead.
Even in death, “Mollie” holds onto Edwin’s heart. This is made even clearer by the appearance of Edwin’s demanding and shrill second wife, Mary (nicely portrayed by Marcee Doherty-Elst). There’s also an interlude with a seemingly desperate young man (Brandon Haut) who seeks some comforting words from the great performer. Edwin displays a diva-like attitude towards this unwelcome “member of the public.” Haut makes a positive impression in a relatively minor part.
Some of the more interesting scenes in Iannone’s play relate to Edwin Booth’s first impression upon hearing the news of his brother’s deed, and his immediate response. Edwin describes throwing all of John’s costumes into a raging furnace, even costumes handed down to John by his father. It is a powerful scene that conveys the fury and shame Edwin feels.
Finally, one cannot imagine a finer portrayal of Edwin Booth than the one given by Chicago actor and playwright Jared McDaris. He manages to hold the audience’s attention throughout the play. McDaris’s mercurial moods as Edwin Booth provide an effective emotional flow that carries throughout this unique piece of theater.
