San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
What’s new in the arts
Lincoln meets Douglass in North Coast Rep’s ‘Necessary Sacrifices’
Fictional portrayals of Abraham Lincoln tend to lionize the man. Understandably. The nation’s 16th president is arguably its greatest. Playwright Richard Hellesen’s however, depicts a more cautious, conflicted Lincoln, a principled leader who nonetheless needed the fierce passion of the statesmanlike abolitionist Frederick Douglass to see the way toward meaningful racial equality.
“Necessary Sacrifices” dramatizes two meetings between Lincoln and Douglass at the White House in 1863 and 1864. The play was filmed for North Coast Repertory Theatre on its Solana Beach stage, with Ray Chambers as Lincoln and Hawthorne James as the former slave Douglass.
Hellesen’s play “has so much to say,” said the production’s director, Peter Ellenstein. “Here are two incredible men, both of whom were self-made almost completely, who rose to become the two most famous men in America, if not the world.
“With all that is going on now — us still struggling to find racial equality — it’s the perfect time for this piece. It’s about our own humanity and trying to be better.”
This filmed play is scads more absorbing than the ubiquitous Zoom theater projects out there. It’s nearly two hours of tense confrontation between two towering historical figures. The booming oratory of James as Douglass tends to overpower Chambers’ Lincoln, but Hellesen has established Lincoln as a man who needs and wants to listen. The drama demands strict attention from viewers and can be somewhat exhausting in the telling, but the story is one of enduring importance.
“Necessary Sacrifice” can be streamed through Oct. 11. Tickets are $19. northcoastrep.org
Chris Daughtry’s next “Live From Home” Virtual Tour performance can be streamed for viewing Tuesday at 6 p.m. This concert benefits in part the Music Box in Little Italy and will have a San Diego flavor.