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Abe Lincoln in Illinois
Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1938), a play in three acts by Robert E. Sherwood. [Plymouth Theatre, 472 perf.; Pulitzer Prize.] In a log schoolhouse, Abe Lincoln ( Raymond Massey) first learns about sectionalism and other barriers to “Liberty and Union” and resolves to do something about it. After his fiancée Ann Rutledge ( Adele Longmire) dies, Lincoln marries Mary Todd ( Muriel Kirkland), whose fiercely possessive, shrewish nature foreshadows her eventual madness. He then runs for Senator from Illinois against the proslavery Stephen Douglas ( Albert Phillips). Before long, Lincoln is a presidential candidate, but somehow his victory at the polls gives him no cause for elation. Mary's behavior and the country's divisive sectionalism have both grown worse. As he leaves for Washington, he tells those who have come to see him off of his hopes that fatalism will not reign in America. The first production of the newly formed Playwrights' Company, the play was extolled by most critics, Richard Watts Jr. of the Herald Tribune calling it “Not only the finest of modern stage biographies, but a lovely, eloquent, endearing tribute to all that is best in the spirit of democracy.” The drama was revived in 1963 by the Phoenix Theatre with Hal Holbrook as Lincoln, and Sam Waterston starred in a commendable 1993 Broadway revival.
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Cite this article
Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-AbeLincolninIllinois.html Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-AbeLincolninIllinois.html |
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Abe Lincoln in Illinois
Abe Lincoln in Illinois, play by Robert Sherwood, produced in 1938 and awarded a Pulitzer Prize. It was published in 1939 with an extensive commentary by the author on its “Substance” and composition.
The 12 scenes of the play carry the hero from his young manhood as an unsuccessful storekeeper at New Salem, through the years of his marriage and legal career, to his election to the presidency and departure for Washington. |
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Cite this article
James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-AbeLincolninIllinois.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-AbeLincolninIllinois.html |
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