Martha Washington, the widow of George Washington, is in her final days. We see her being cared for by her slaves, of which she possessed many. She passes out. Is she dead, we wonder. Soon we realize that she is immersed in an intense, surreal dream- a fever dream, where she has to deal with her role as a slave owner. This unusual play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames at the Wilma Theater, is a different look at those days in 1802, blending historical fiction from a different point of view. What an extraordinary storyteller Ijames is!
My own knowledge of Martha Washington is very limited. I knew her only through a a classic portrait of her that hangs in the National Gallery. But Nancy Boykin gives life to her. She enters a dream wherein six of her slaves are caring for her. But are they caring for her or do they want her to die? For when she passes, according to her husband’s will, these and others will be set free.
Martha is not some stupid woman from the South. She actually does care for the people who serve her. But does that make a difference? At the start of the play, before she falls into her dream-state, she complains that her eyes bother her, and she can’t see. This is clearly a metaphor for the woman we arout to learn about, who can’t see.
In the dream, she is an observer. She watches and listens as her slaves describe their lives, but still thinks they have the best life they can have as her slaves. She still calls the men, “boys.” But other times, she joins them in a dance as if she is one of them. When she talks to some, she allows them to lie in bed beside her. What is real and what is not?
Then, there is her personal servant/slave Ann. She is light skinned, and we see that in this story, she is the half-sister of Martha, the daughter of Martha’s father. Does Martha accept that and of the other children born of slave women and their white male owners?
There is one scene where the slaves are playing a 21st century quiz show game that makes no sense… but it is amusing, and it works! Then there is the scene where she is put on trial in a modern courtroom. Crazy, but effective in a bizarre way. But no crazier than when the characters of Thomas Jefferson, Abigail Adams, and Betsy Ross also take the stage as portrayed by this fine ensemble. To top it off, her husband, George Washington testifies in the courtroom as well.
There is so much to absorb in this 90-minute play, and it will hold your attention for most of it (there were some over-the-top comedy scenes that went on a bit too long). But the powerful discussion of slavery and Martha’s response to it will leave you thinking about it for a long time. Kudos to the Wilma and to director Brett Ashley Robinson for bringing to their stage, “The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington,” this remarkable and unusual play by James Ijames!
“The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington” by James Ijames, at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-546-7824 wilmatheater.org Thru April 5, 2026
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 