It’s a bitch being plain, even if you’re a member of the upper crust and the wife of a U.S. President.
But that didn’t stop Eleanor Roosevelt from becoming one of the most influential – and even most admired – women in U.S. history, as Mark St. Germain’s fine script “Eleanor” illustrates.
Nor did it stop her from asking for a divorce (he said no) or wishing her husband were a bit different. “My body lies beside Franklin’s,” she tells us, “but not my spirit.”
North Coast Repertory Theatre presents extraordinary actress Kandis Chappell as “Eleanor” through July 9 at the theater, directed by Artistic Director David Ellenstein, along with the usual splendid company designers: Marty Burnett, set; Elisa Benzoni, costumes; Matt Novotny, lighting, Aaron Rumley, sound and projections, Anissa Ruiz, props and Peter Herman, hair and wigs.
Eleanor’s main complaint was, of course, the president’s affair with Eleanor’s secretary Lucy Mercer.
Kandis Chappell does a brilliant job as Eleanor, annoyed by his dalliances but not letting that keep her from her humanist instincts and determination to work for the betterment of all mankind.
She didn’t even let the local Daughters of the American Revolution keep Black singer Marian Anderson from singing in Washington. When they refused the use of the DAR hall, Eleanor offered the Lincoln Memorial as a fitting backdrop.
She finishes with a winner: “Happiness is not a goal. It is the gift of a life well-lived.” After all, as she puts it, “Who are any of us but the choices we make?”
And this version of “Eleanor” is a wonderful gift to local theater lovers. Don’t pass it up.
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