Candace O'Donnell's MARY TODD LINCOLN Returns to The Ware Center Tonight

Candace O'Donnell returns with her one-woman 'tour de force' show, "Mary Todd Lincoln: Much Madness Is Divinest Sense," to the Steinman Hall stage at the Ware Center tonight, November 21, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. The Ware Center is located at 42 N. Prince Street, Lancaster.

Pieced together from meticulous research, Candace O'Donnell will tell the complex and tragic story of President Abraham Lincoln's widow, from her aristocratic birth to her time as America's First Lady, through her husband's horrifying assassination and finally, to her tragic descent into madness. This incredible glimpse into the personal and tormented life of Mary Todd wowed a sold-out audience at the Ware Center in 2012.

Since debuting this show, O'Donnell has reprised it elsewhere in Pennsylvania and in Cape May, New Jersey, and has added some key vignettes to the original script, taking time and effort to find the humor and comical aspects of Mary Todd's life. According to Gayle Stahlhuth, Artistic Director for East Lynne Theatre Company in Cape May, New Jersey, and an expert on historic monologues, many portrayals of Mrs. Lincoln dwell on the darker side of her personality, but not so with O'Donnell's show.

"What is unique with Ms. O'Donnell's script and performance is that sound reasoning is theatrically demonstrated behind The First Lady's sorrows," Stahlhuth said. "This is a many-faceted performance showing Mrs. Lincoln from flirtatious to fearless, and ultimately fragile."

Since retiring from teaching English at Elizabethtown College, O'Donnell has had more time to devote to her love of writing and theatre. Over the years she has worked at the Fulton, E-PAC, TSS, Sight and Sound, Rainbow Dinner Theatre, and Dutch Apple. In the show Driving Miss Daisy she had the honor of sharing the stage with the incomparable Michael Truitt, who is now her accompanist for "Mary Todd Lincoln."

In addition to Mary Todd Lincoln, written with her husband, Dr. John O'Donnell, O'Donnell has researched, written, and performed historic monologues on Abigail Adams, Carry Nation, and Sarah Bernhardt.

Co-writer Dr. John O'Donnell is an Emeritus Professor of English and a former Chair of the Department of English at Millersville University. Voice of Tad Lincoln, Lachlan John O'Donnell McLane (the O'Donnell's grandson), is a sixth grade student at The New School of Lancaster, who has worked hard to perfect Tad's stutter, and enjoys drumming, hip-hop dancing, and soccer.

Tickets are $15 reserved seating, $12 for seniors, and $5 for MU and Visiting Students with a valid ID at a ticket office location or at the door. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting ArtsMU.com or by calling 717-871-7600. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Ticket Office located in the Student Memorial Center on Millersville's campus, or the Ware Center, located at 42 N. Prince Street, in Lancaster. Doors open one hour before each show for ticket sales, subject to availability.

Pictured: Candace O'Donnell as Mary Todd Lincoln