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| Sally (Tara Pacheco) listens to her brother James (William Hodgson) in "Thomas and Sally." (Photo by Kevin Berne) |
“Thomas and Sally” is an intriguing look at Thomas
Jefferson and Sally Hemings, the slave with whom he had six children after the
death of his wife.
In the world premiere production by Marin Theatre
Company, playwright Thomas Bradshaw starts this fictionalized but fact-based history
as a conversation between two college roommates in modern times.
One of them, Karen (Rosie Hallett), is writing a
paper about Jefferson. Her roommate, Simone (Ella Dershowitz), says she
descended from one of Thomas and Sally’s children and relates his story as she
knows it.
Much of the action takes place as the two women watch
from the sidelines, but both assume roles in the action, too.
Jefferson (Mark Anderson Phillips) is perhaps best
known for writing the Declaration of Independence and serving as president,
among other assignments in the country’s early days.
He wanted to abolish slavery, but he owned slaves.
And though the Declaration of Independence says “all men are created equal,” he
believed that full-blooded Negroes were intellectually inferior to people who
were white or who had some white blood.
This apparent hypocrisy is one of the
interesting issues in the play.
There’s much exposition, but it works well in the
context of the action, which takes place mostly at Jefferson’s Monticello home
in Virginia and in France, where he served as American ambassador as the French
Revolution was brewing.
France is where he became involved with 15-year-old
Sally (Tara Pacheco), who was among the slaves who journeyed with him. Sally
was the half-sister of Jefferson’s late wife, Martha (Dershowitz).
Among the Founding Fathers in the play are Benjamin
Franklin (Robert Sicular) and John Adams (Scott Coopwood).
Skillfully directed by Jasson Minadakis, all of the
actors, many in several roles, are noteworthy, showing their versatility.
Besides those already named, they include L. Peter Callender, William Hodgson, Cameron
Matthews and Charlette Speigner.
One caveat: Some adult themes and unnecessary male
nudity make this play unsuitable for the younger set.
Production values are generally high, especially the
set by Sean Fanning and costumes by Ashley Holvick. The sound design by
Theodore J.H. Hulsker features snippets of Mozart. However, some lighting by
Mike Post is too dim.
Running about two and a half hours with two
intermissions, the play humanizes the oft-idealized Thomas Jefferson and offers
insight into his life and times.
It also offers comments relevant to current events.
The ones that drew knowing laughter on opening night concerned the Electoral
College and its potential effects.
“Thomas and Sally” continues through Oct. 22 at
Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. For tickets and
information, call (415) 388-5208 or visit www.marintheatre.org.
