Success of 'Abe' seen in sold-out premiere

“Abraham’s Lincoln Big Gay Dance Party” made people laugh more than once during its premiere Friday at the Ivy Tech John Waldron Auditorium.

The play, directed by  Stephen Hammoor, IU student and Indiana Daily Student web editor, dealt with the gay community’s historic struggle for equal rights.

However, humor, music and dancing toned down the gravity of the topic and entertained the audience during the three hours of the play’s duration.

The event attracted a great number of people, and some of the crowd sat on the floor because there were no seats left.

Before the play started, audience members wrote their names on a piece of paper that they dropped in a basket as they entered the auditorium.

Once the play began, the cast selected a name at random, and the audience member who was called out decided the order in which the play’s three acts would be presented.

Audience members said they were pleased with the play and the topics it
presented.

“I liked how they touched the subject of the way things are viewed in a small town,” senior Stephanie Hines said. “Coming from one, it is interesting to see the portrayal.”
Each act dealt with the same plot: the trial of Harmony Green.

The lesbian schoolteacher was accused of distributing harmful material to children after she rewrote a Christmas pageant’s script to question Abraham Lincoln’s sexual orientation.

Friday’s first act highlighted the perspective of Regina Lincoln, Green’s defense attorney.

As a candidate for governor, Regina Lincoln hoped to gain popularity by accepting the case.

The second act was told from the perspective of a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, Anton Renault. Renault came to Menard County, Ill., to cover the case.

However, throughout the trial, his deeper intentions of ending the career of the county’s district attorney became evident.

District Attorney Tom Hauser’s viewpoint was the third and final act. Another hopeful candidate for governor, Hauser had the same intentions as Regina Lincoln.

Hausen relied on posing Green’s actions as evil to the conservative population of Menard County in hopes of winning.

Apart from its creative organizational techniques, viewers also appreciated the play’s more technical elements.

“I think the lightning was interesting and also the use of slang and derogatory terms,” senior Alex Wright said. “It was very surprising.”

The order in which the acts are seen changed the way the audience could interpret and understand the story.

The play’s beginning and ending remain the same; it is the order of the acts in between that affects the audience’s interpretation of the play.

Different act orders can highlight some themes more than others.

“Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party” touched on a variety of subjects, ranging from “Honest Abe’s” own history to homophobia and the fight for equal rights.

The humor-filled play had a cast of seven actors who, along with the musicians, wore characteristic Lincoln top hats throughout the play.

Dancing numbers were also very common, adding entertainment to the story.
In the end, Hammoor said he was pleased with the play’s result.

“I was thrilled to see people sitting on the floor,” he said. “I was not expecting it. There was a good vibe in the room, and I enjoyed watching people’s reactions during the play.”

He said the most important part was his desire for the audience to understand the meaning of the story.

“I hope that people laugh at things but also question themselves why they are laughing,” Hammoor said.