| First Lady Suite | |
|---|---|
 Transport Group promotional image | |
| Music | Michael John LaChiusa |
| Lyrics | Michael John LaChiusa |
| Book | Michael John LaChiusa |
| Productions | 1993 Off-Broadway |
First Lady Suite is a chamber musical by Michael John LaChiusa. The musical contains four separate segments about four of the First Ladies of the United States of America and the people surrounding them. They are: Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman, and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. It premiered Off-Broadway in 1993.
The chamber musical was produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Public Theater from November 30, 1993 through December 26, 1993, running for 32 performances. Directed by Kirsten Sanderson, it featured Alice Playten (Lady Bird Johnson and Mamie Eisenhower), Debra Stricklin (Margaret Truman), Carolann Page (Eleanor Roosevelt), Maureen Moore (Amelia Earhart, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy), and David Wasson (Dwight Eisenhower, Bess Truman). The production received the Obie Award, Performance (Playten) and Special Citation (LaChiusa). [1]
The Blank Theatre, Los Angeles, California, presented a revised version of the musical from March 7, 2002 – April 14, 2002. Directed by Daniel Henning, the cast featured Gregory Jbara as Dwight Eisenhower/Bess Truman/Presidential Aide, Kate Shindle as Amelia Earhart, Evelyn Halus as Eleanor Roosevelt/Evelyn Lincoln, Heather Lee as Mary Gallagher, Bronwen Booth as Jacqueline Kennedy, Irene Warner as Lady Bird Johnson/Ike's Chauffeur/Margaret Truman, Eydie Alyson as Mamie Eisenhower, Mary-Pat Green as Lorena Hickock and Paula Newsome as Marian Anderson/The First Lady. [2]
A New York revival produced by Transport Group Theatre Company ran at The Connelly Theater in New York City from April 6, 2004 through April 17, 2004. This production received two Drama Desk Award nominations: Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Mary Testa). Directed by Jack Cummings III, the cast included Julia Murney (Amelia Earhart), Mary Beth Peil (Eleanor Roosevelt), Mary Testa (Lorena Hickok), Robyn Hussa (Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy), Sherry D. Boone (Marian Anderson), Donna Lynne Champlin, Ruth Gottschall (Margaret Truman), James Hindman (Eisenhower, and Cheryl Stern (Mamie Eisenhower). [3]
The 2004 revival had the added prologue and epilogue, sung individually and by the group, which explains the theme, to "fly away from the constraints that come with the traditional First Lady's privileged life." [4] The Transport Group Theatre Company's acclaimed 2004 NYC revival was filmed for preservation by The Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, a division of The New York Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center.
The cast album from the Blank Theater production is available on PS Classics.
The show had its London premiere at the Union Theatre between September 29 and October 17, 2009. [5] [6]
The plot contains four unrelated stories and a prologue.
Prologue
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular first lady, she endeared the American public with her devotion to her family, dedication to the historic preservation of the White House and her interest in American history and culture. During her lifetime, she was regarded as an international fashion icon.
Mary Geneva "Mamie" Eisenhower was the first lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 as the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Born in Boone, Iowa, she was raised in a wealthy household in Colorado. She married Dwight D. Eisenhower, then a lieutenant in the Army, in 1916. She kept house and served as hostess for military officers as they moved between various postings in the United States, Panama, the Philippines, and France. Their relationship was complicated by his regular absences on duty and by the death of their firstborn son at the age of three. She became a prominent figure during World War II as the wife of General Eisenhower.
Elizabeth Virginia Truman was the wife of President Harry S. Truman and the first lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953. She also served as the second lady of the United States from January to April 1945. She currently holds the record of longest-lived First Lady and longest-lived Second Lady, at 97 years, 247 days.
Mary Beth Peil is an American actress and soprano. She began her career as an opera singer in 1962 with the Goldovsky Opera Theater. In 1964 she won two major singing competitions, the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; the latter of which earned her a contract with the Metropolitan Opera National Company with whom she performed in two seasons of national tours as a leading soprano from 1965–1967. She continued to perform in operas through the 1970s, notably creating the role of Alma in the world premiere of Lee Hoiby's Summer and Smoke at the Minnesota Opera in 1971. She later recorded that role for American television in 1982. With that same opera company she transitioned into musical theatre, performing the title role of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate in 1983. Later that year she joined the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I as Anna Leonowens opposite Yul Brynner, and continued with that production when it opened on Broadway on January 7, 1985. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal.
Herbert David Ross was an American actor, choreographer, director and producer who worked predominantly in theater and film. He was nominated for two Academy Awards and a Tony Award.
Michael John LaChiusa is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See. He was nominated for four Tony Awards in 2000 for his score and book for both Marie Christine and The Wild Party and received another nomination in 1996 for his work on the libretto for Chronicle of a Death Foretold.
Backstairs at the White House is a 1979 NBC television miniseries based on the 1961 book My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks. The series, produced by Ed Friendly Productions, is the story of behind-the-scenes workings of the White House and the relationship between the staff and the First Families.
Gregory Jbara is an American film, television, and stage actor, and a singer.
The Green Room is one of three state parlors on the first floor of the White House, the home of the president of the United States. It is used for small receptions and teas. During a state dinner, guests are served cocktails in the three state parlors before the president, first lady, and a visiting head of state descend the Grand Staircase for dinner. The room is traditionally decorated in shades of green. The room is approximately 28 by 22.5 feet. It has six doors, which open into the Cross Hall, East Room, South Portico, and Blue Room.
Alice Playten was an American actress known for her high-pitched, child-like voice.
The President's Dining Room is a dining room located in the northwest corner of the second floor of the White House. It is located directly above the Family Dining Room on the State Floor and looks out upon the North Lawn. The Dining Room is adjacent to the Family Kitchen, a small kitchen designed for use by the First Family, and served by a dumbwaiter connected to the main kitchen on the ground floor.
The Executive Residence is the central building of the White House complex located between the East Wing and West Wing. It is the most recognizable part of the complex, being the actual "house" part of the White House. This central building, first constructed from 1792 to 1800, is home to the president of the United States and the first family. The Executive Residence primarily occupies four floors: the Ground Floor, the State Floor, the Second Floor, and the Third Floor. A two-story sub-basement with mezzanine, created during the 1948–1952 Truman reconstruction, is used for HVAC and mechanical systems, storage, and service areas.
A major American icon, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis has been portrayed, alluded to, and referred to in many media in the popular culture from the 1960s and continuing into the 21st century.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She served as the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office, making her the longest-serving first lady of the United States. Roosevelt served as United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952, and in 1948 she was given a standing ovation by the assembly upon their adoption of the Universal Declaration. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements.
The Queens' Bedroom is on the second floor of the White House, part of a guest suite of rooms that includes the Queens' Sitting Room.
United States presidential inaugural balls are large social gatherings, both white tie and black tie, held to celebrate the commencement of a new term of the President of the United States. Planned and sanctioned by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the official inaugural balls occur throughout the evening of Inauguration Day in the Washington D.C. area and are invitation-only, attended by guests who are issued pre-paid tickets. The President, First Lady, Vice-President and Second Lady or Second Gentleman, all make personal appearances at each of the inaugural balls held in their honor. Catered food, beverages, and live entertainment performed by national and globally acclaimed musicians are provided at the inaugural balls.
Sally Victor was a prominent American milliner from the late 1920s through the 1960s. Her designs were popular with Hollywood actresses such as Irene Dunne, Helen Hayes, and Merle Oberon, as well as First Ladies Mamie Eisenhower and Jacqueline Kennedy.
Claire Machin is a British actress, best known for her work in musical theatre.
The following is a list of works about the spouses of presidents of the United States. While this list is mainly about presidential spouses, administrations with a bachelor or widowed president have a section on the individual that filled the role of First Lady. The list includes books and journal articles written in English after c. 1900 as well as primary sources written by the individual themselves.