From 1964 to 1976, there were three married U.S. Presidents in the White House. Their wives, referred to as First Ladies, were Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, and Betty Ford. All three lived into their 80’s and 90’s and outlived their husbands by many years. As First Ladies, they were known to the public as little more than appendages of their president husbands. This finely crafted play by Eric H. Weinberger and Elaine Bromka, takes us deeper inside the minds and souls of these remarkable women. In just 90 minutes, each of them reveals what their lives were like.
Ironically, these are not three women who I had much interest in. But the stories of their paths to marriages to men who became president, is fascinating. I learned so much while being totally entertained in the three, 30 minutes segments as Sabrina Profitt portrays each woman with passion and humor along with information about their lives.
I learned that Lady Bird and Pat lost their mothers when they were 5 and 13 respectively while Betty’s father died when she was 16. I learned about the various pressures these women faced by pushy and controlling husbands. I learned that each wanted a different life than the one they had to adapt to in order to be a politico’s, then a president’s wife. I felt the moods of each woman, as presented to us at the very end of the administrations of their husbands. But most of all, I felt and understood their own desires and goals and how they managed them.
Profitt doesn’t look like the women she portrays, though the wigs remind us of each. She doesn’t try to overdo their speech patterns or accents. But she not only captures the essence of each, she IS each of those women. As she talks to the audience, we feel we are listening to Lady Bird, Pat, and Betty at the White House as they are about to depart from their “jobs” as First Ladies. She is outstanding!
To be so successful, a one-person show also needs a good director. I’ve known Mary Martello as one of Philadelphia’s greatest actors over the past few decades. She’s a great director also!
While I learned so much, this show is thoroughly entertaining and is a must-see for those who remember those women and for those who want to know more about those times.
“Tea for 3” by Eric H. Weinberger & Elaine Bromka at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Avenue., Ambler, PA 19002, 215-654-0200, act2.org Thru February 18, 2024
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 