Review: RESTORED TO REASON, a New Work, at Sherman Players

As a writer myself, I make it a point to support original work as often as I can. I often say that original works are the lifeblood of the theater as it is the only way that we can introduce new ideas, new stories, and new challenges into the theater. When I heard that local playwright, Beth Young, was having the premiere of Restored to Reason at the Sherman Playhouse, I knew I wanted to be there. The best thing about reviewing new works is that you can go into it with a clean slate; having never seen the show before, you don’t have any preconceptions of what you’re going to witness. What I did witness, in the end, was a smart production by an experienced cast and crew, with an engaged audience who bought in from the beginning: A rare occurrence for new works.

The premise of Restored to Reason is simple, as it follows the life of Mary Todd Lincoln leading up to and during her incarceration at a mental institution at the hands of her last remaining son, Robert. The three person cast was tight knit and allowed the audience to dig into the reasons and motivations for the actions that all three took during this time. Starting with Mary Todd herself, being able to see how she carries herself in her private moments versus when she’s confronted by her son, it’s just as easy to understand why she feels slighted by the constant threats of institutionalization but also the tendencies that ultimately led to that decision. Portrayed by Morgana Kate Watson, Mary Todd is clearly a grieving women, whose grief of losing her husband and multiple sons is oft mistaken as instability.  Unfortunately for her, Robert Lincoln, played by Matt Pagliaro, overlooks the grief and their constant bickering builds and builds until he feels forced to make the decision to commit her. Between these forces lives Elizabeth Keckley, a seamstress and confidant of Mary Todd, who is played by Loretta Fedrick. Keckley tries to bridge the gap between Mary Todd and Robert as she’s experienced both sides: She’s seen Mary Todd in her private moments but she’s also heard Robert’s struggles. All three actors committed themselves to their characters and created an enthralling performance that reeled the audience in.

Surrounding the cast was a mix of spectacle and minimalism that strikes the balance perfectly. The set and lights, designed by Al Chiappetta, are simple yet effective: Mary Todd’s hotel room in the first scene contains a sitting chair, a chaise lounge, and a writing desk. A simple rug and a projection of a hotel room fills the rest of the space, keeping the focus on the actors and not the details of a complicated set. The lights are similar: lighting the room or highlighting a monologue. It’s all the show needs. The real star of the production design is the costumes by Gillian Desjardins: There were three actors, each had one to two costumes, and each costume was stunning. Bringing all of these elements together was director Jane Farnol, whose vision for this new work made it feel like an established piece.

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