So It Seems, Audiences Demand Encores When It Comes to First Ladies
Guest Column by Jeanne Ryan Wolfson
With all the hype around Broadway’s latest hit, Oh Mary!, Mary Todd Lincoln, cast off by history into the shadow of her husband’s assassination, has found her cultural footing on the country’s most renowned stage—some 160 years after she served as first lady.
Yet, Cole Escola, who wrote and starred in this absurdist comedic play, admittedly did no research on the first lady when writing the show. He made up the story: A melodramatic, heavy drinker who, leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, decides to make her dream of becoming a cabaret singer come true.
How is the zany Oh Mary! playing to audiences? The show is breaking box office records and earned Escola a 2024 Off-Broadway Drama Desk award. Now on Broadway, the show is poised to receive several Tony Award nominations later this year because of its bold concept, outstanding performances and masterful stagecraft.
Fabricated or authentic, theatrical productions about first ladies remain popular. Playwrights—and audiences—keep coming back for encores. Why? First ladies are compelling characters with engaging stories making up the key ingredients of good theater. Add some intrigue, glamor and power to the mix—with a twist of farcicality—and the stories get even spicier.
Theatrical productions about U.S. first ladies are not new—though they began with stories of fictitious first ladies. One of the earliest productions, Of Thee I Sing, opened on Broadway in 1931 at New York’s Music Box Theatre and ran for 441 performances. With music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin and book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, the show told the story of Mary Turner, a beauty pageant coordinator, who becomes first lady after winning the heart of John P. Wintergreen, the president. The show became the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama and 40 years later, was adapted for television with the same title starring Carroll O’Connor as president and Cloris Leachman as first lady.
Four years later, First Lady premiered at the same theater. Written by George S. Kaufman and Katharine Dayton, the play depicted two fictional socialites vying for influence in Washington, D.C.; one wanted to become first lady. The show was a success and later adapted into a movie.
Since that time, productions about first ladies have taken hold, with the majority produced in the last 25 years. These shows generally fall into two categories: musicals or dramatic plays. Occasionally, theatrical re-enactments, dramatized versions of a real historical event staged in a theater setting, are produced. Some productions portray first ladies in earnest, representing biographical accounts of their lives and accomplishments. The one-woman show, Eleanor, for example, was written by playwright Mark St. Germain who conducted extensive research for a play he never used about both Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. He then dove deeper into Eleanor’s history to find the most interesting aspects of her life for the script. The show played at several theaters across the country between 2023 and 2025.
Playwright Lucas Hnath got his inspiration to write Broadway’s Hillary and Clinton while watching the Iowa caucuses during Hillary’s 2008 presidential campaign. To do so, he wrote a few hours a day; then reviewed his work to identify common themes to weave into the play’s script. While the show played only a few months, it marked the first time Hillary Clinton was featured as a leading character in a Broadway play.
Researching biographical productions is not limited to playwrights. Actors do their own research to portray their first lady roles accurately. For All the Way, a play about President Lyndon Johnson’s fight to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, actress Susan Rome, who played Lady Bird Johnson at Washington, D.C.’s, Arena Stage, traveled to Austin, Texas to spend a day with archivists and researchers at the LBJ Museum and Library. There she reviewed recordings, documents, photos and more. She also read Betty Caroli’s book, Lady Bird and Lyndon: The Hidden Story of a Marriage that Made a President.
Actress Kandis Chappell prepared for her role in Eleanor by reading biographies and Eleanor’s writings to understand her life and emotions. She also spent time mastering Eleanor’s distinctive voice, speech patterns and mannerisms.
At the other end of the spectrum are comedic productions about first ladies. In 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies, the playwrights use comedy and slapstick (as well as drama, music and dance) to portray the perspectives of all the first ladies. The play began in Chicago in 2020 and has been produced professionally every year since then in cities around the country. In March, a high school in Illinois will produce the show.
Ladies First, another comedic play, written by Robert Gerlach and James A. McDonald, tells the story of a nervous Jacqueline Kennedy who has completed the restoration of the White House. She invites five first ladies—Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Pat Nixon and Lady Bird Johnson—to give their opinions. And, give their opinions they do—from criticizing the way she runs the White House to demanding she crusade for women’s rights.
Some theaters are providing add-ons to their shows about first ladies. At the Mosaic Theatre in Washington, D.C., last year, the creative team for Nancy, a play about similarities between Nancy Reagan and Pocahontas, held talkbacks after three of the evening performances. The talkbacks paired audiences with the artists and playwright to discuss the show.
During the run of Eleanor: An American Love Story at Ford’s Theatre’s in Washington, D.C., the theater hosted a separate concert at the annual First Ladies Luncheon at the city’s Congressional Club. There, the cast performed excerpts from the show. An original cast recording was also produced, still available today on Amazon and YouTube.
In January of this year, Ford’s Theatre offered a staged reading of Elizabeth Keckly & Mary Lincoln: The Last Morning as part of its Theatre Legacy Commissions series. The reading took place in a local restaurant followed by a post-show gathering where audience members met the playwrights and creative team.
At the Laguna Playhouse, also in January, a talkback following an afternoon performance of Eleanor, featured Mary Roosevelt, Eleanor’s daughter-in-law (married to Eleanor’s deceased son, James). Mary shared personal stories and reflections about Eleanor’s life and legacy over tea, just as Eleanor would have done herself.
But, there’s one new addition that surpasses all others. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton played the role of the giant in the Stephen Sondheim musical, Into the Woods, at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in 2022. Like other revivals of the show, the company pre-recorded this offstage role in advance of the opening and played it at every performance. Clinton did not have to appear on stage during the five-week run. Yet, it was a brilliant stroke of casting by the Arkansas theater to include an “actor” with star power, not to mention Clinton was the former first lady of Arkansas.
Clinton shattered a theatrical ceiling just last year when she became the first, first lady to sign on as a Broadway producer in the musical, Suffs. Clinton joined the production after receiving a letter from the show’s creator, Shaina Taub, asking if she’d collaborate as a producer. Clinton was so moved by telling the story of the woman’s suffrage movement, she said “yes,” according to CBS News. Suffs earned six Tony nominations and won two. While Suffs closed on Broadway in January, a national tour kicks off in September and runs through 2026.
It’s important to point out that shows about first ladies are not limited to theatrical productions. Creators of movies, docuseries and TV shows have gotten into the act. Just last year, the PBS show, To the Contrary, produced History of First Ladies from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden, interviewing New York Times Reporter Katie Rogers about her latest book, “American Woman.” Showtime’s The First Lady, a 2020 anthology drama series, portrayed the lives of Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt, starring Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson. Hulu’s four-part docuseries, Hillary, provided a portrait of Hillary Clinton as a political trailblazer. First Ladies Revealed, a 2017 Smithsonian Channel documentary series, looked at women who transformed the role of first lady through the lens of style, fate and war.
All told, there is no shortage of interest or productions about first ladies. Stories of these iconic women continue to capture the imagination of playwrights, producers, directors and audiences. But imaginations being what they are, modern audiences might brush up on first lady history when attending these shows. The Mary Todd Lincoln of Oh, Mary! is not your grandmother’s Mary Todd Lincoln. Nor may the depiction of first ladies in future productions be. Some, though, will reveal illuminating historical insights and that’s something to applaud.
Featured First Ladies in Musicals*
Of Thee I Sing: A 1931 Broadway musical about the fictional Mary Turner who becomes first lady after winning the heart of the president .
Mr. President: A 1962 Broadway musical about a fictional president and his first lady, played by Nanette Fabray. Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse; music/lyrics by Irving Berlin in his last musical.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave: A 1976 Broadway musical about the lives of Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Monroe, Julia Grant and Lucy Hayes. Music by Leonard Bernstein (his last score for Broadway); book/lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner.
Teddy and Alice: A 1987 musical about President Theodore Roosevelt and his daughter, Alice; includes the roles of Edith Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. Book by Jerome Alden; lyrics by Hal Hackady and music adapted from the work of John Philip Sousa.
First Lady Suite: A chamber musical about Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman and Jackie Kennedy who travel to their destinies by plane. Book/music by Michael John LaChiusa. Premiered in 1993 at New York’s Public Theatre; played at other theatres across the country as well as in London.
Eleanor: An American Love Story: A 1999 musical about Eleanor Roosevelt’s early life through her courtship and marriage to Franklin Roosevelt .
First Daughter Suite: A sequel to First Lady Suite, the story imagines the inner lives and dreams of the daughters of first ladies: Tricia and Julie Nixon, Amy Carter, Susan Ford, Patti Davis, and Laura Bush. Premiered off-Broadway in 2015 at New York’s Public Theatre.
Into the Woods: Hillary Clinton played the giant in this Stephen Sondheim musical at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in 2022 .
Suffs: Hillary Clinton signed on as a producer for this 2024 musical about the women’s suffrage movement .
Upcoming Musicals
Suffs National Tour: Opens fall 2025 and runs through 2026.
Featured First Ladies in Plays*
First Lady: A 1935 Broadway play about two fictional socialites vying for influence in Washington, D.C.; one wants to become first lady. Book by Katharine Dayton and George Kaufman.
Ladies First: A 1984 comedic play that tells the story of a nervous Jackie Kennedy, who after restoring the White House, invites five first ladies over to get their opinions on the restoration .
Eleanor: Her Secret Journey: A one-woman show, starring Jean Stapleton, examining Eleanor’s early years as a young wife and mother. Written by Rhoda Lerman. Premiered in 1998 in upstate New York and ran at several theatres in 2000.
Tea for Three: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty: A play that provides a behind-the-scenes look at Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford and how they lived in a “fishbowl of First Ladydom.” The show opened in 2004; then beginning in 2009, has toured the U.S. every year. Meryl Streep was a principal donor to the off-Broadway production.
All the Way: A 2016 Broadway play that explores Lyndon Johnson’s fight to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was later adapted into an HBO movie starring Melissa Leo as Lady Bird Johnson who earned an Emmy nomination for her role .
Hillary and Clinton, a Broadway play that explores the relationship between Hillary and Bill Clinton . Actress Laurie Metcalf, who played Hillary, was nominated for a Tony award, a Drama Desk Award and a Drama League Award in 2019.
Nancy: A 2024 satirical play that compares the lives of Nancy Reagan and Pocahontas. Written by Rhiana Yazzie .
First Ladies Trilogy. This three-part re-enactment, written and performed by Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann in Minnesota in 2024, features Wild About Harry: Bess Truman, Mrs. Ike: Mamie Eisenhower and Distant Camelot: Jackie Kennedy. Kay also performed these pieces individually throughout the country as far back as the 1990s.
46 Plays for America’s First Ladies: A comedic play about all the first ladies. Written as a collaboration of five contemporary playwrights who wrote a companion piece, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents .
Elizabeth Keckly & Mary Lincoln: A 2025 staged reading at Ford’s Theatre about the story of Elizabeth and Mary on their last morning together at the White House .
Eleanor: A one-woman show that has toured the country, explores the life, loves and passions of Eleanor Roosevelt. Its most recent run at the Laguna Playhouse closed in February .
Still Playing
Oh Mary!: A comedic play on Broadway that explores the life of Mary Todd Lincoln in the days leading up to her husband’s assassination .
Upcoming Plays Featuring First Ladies
First Ladies and the Big White Lie: A play about six first ladies (or surrogates) who struggle to accept the Trump presidency. Includes Abigail Adams, Patsy Jefferson, Dolley Madison, Rachel Jackson, Mary Todd Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt. Next staged readings take place in March in California.
The First Ladies Coalition: A one-person play, written and performed by Ginger Grace, depicts Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson and Mary Todd Lincoln traveling in time to a sewing shop to show its owner the power of speaking up. Performed previously in theatres and libraries; next show in March at the Wilton Library in Connecticut.
*A sampling of productions about first ladies, not a complete list.
Jeanne Ryan Wolfson is a board member and inaugural lifetime individual member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE). She is a Washington-based communication strategist, currently serving as an independent consultant to a variety of organizations and is an author. She holds a B.A in journalism and an M.A. in strategic communication from American University. She is an avid theatregoer.