In ‘Eleanor,’ Plum finds the heart, soul of an icon

By Rich Fahey

CAMBRIDGE – Getting to the heart and soul of an icon is tricky business.

How far do you have to go to get there? By physical resemblance, as much as is possible? Voice and mannerisms? How do you get to the heart and soul?

Award-winning actor Paula Plum has shown us the way while delivering yet another master class in acting in the Central Square Theater’s production of “Eleanor.”

The play by Mark St. Germain is based on the life and times of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, her distant cousin and the president who led the country from the Great Depression through World War II before dying in office in 1945.

The Eleanor who emerges onstage is familiar to us in dress (costume design by Rachel Padula-Shufelt) and bearing.  Plum captures the distinctive timbre of her voice that echoes Eleanor’s upper-class upbringing and her schooling in London, and her delivery as a well-known public speaker. But along the way she also captures the heart of the woman, her values, and her courage in speaking out and leading the way, often in the face of almost unspeakable pain and loss.

“Eleanor” is set in the Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C., although Eleanor, who died in 1962, is buried alongside her husband in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Plum has performed nine one-woman shows and she and director Bryn Boice have a proven partnership. They both know well that stagnant and static are enemies of solo shows, and Plum is on the move throughout the 80 minutes performed with no intermission. With the aid of projections and scenic design by Justin LaHue, she moves easily from topic to topic and relationship to relationship.

There are heart-rending stories of her childhood, losing her younger brother, her mother when she was eight and her alcoholic father, whom she truly loved, to suicide when she was just 10.

Eleanor is nothing if not blunt and direct when she speaks of her betrayal at the hands of Lucy Mercer, FDR’s mistress, in 1918, and the letters she discovered and eventually burned.  The couple already had five children – a sixth had died shortly after birth – but to keep the marriage together, it became a strict marriage of convenience. Eleanor insisted she be allowed to have a separate, independent life and that he not see Mercer again.

But there was also genuine caring, as she became a caretaker in 1921 when FDR was diagnosed with polio.

Franklin’s longtime aide and friend Louis Howe saw in the fractured couple a powerful political duo with brains and heart who had the right stuff to lead the country through such a fraught era.

Plum is particularly effective in portraying the friction Eleanor experienced in her frosty relationships with cousin Alice Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter, and mother-in-law Sara Roosevelt, who never considered her a suitable mate for Franklin. Her plain appearance drew hurtful comments from both Alice and, shockingly, her own mother Anna.

“Eleanor” also highlights her insistence in wading into rough waters when it came to civil rights, and her insistence that war veterans be treated equitably and fairly.

When it comes time for her to show warmth, she lights up when talking about her passionate, decades-long relationship with her journalist Lorena “Hick” Hickok. Some of the 3,500 letters the women exchanged through the years were eventually published

Plum and husband Richard Snee, also an accomplished actor, have served as the Greater Boston version of Lunt and Fontanne for several decades now, aging artfully and gracefully together. Plum has also distinguished herself as a director, teacher, playwright, and leader of theatrical organizations.

Playwright St. Germain, who also writes screenplays and musicals, has found success on area stages with other works, notably “Freud’s Last Session” and “Becoming Dr. Ruth.”  He has seasoned this piece with a considerable amount of humor, especially important in a work that has no shortage of pain and loss.

Director Boice has done some superb work with area theater companies large and small and also serves as associate artistic director and director of education and training at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.

Hopefully, “Eleanor” and Plum’s nonpareil portrayal pique your interest on finding out more about the woman and her times. One of my favorite  sources is Ken Buens’ wonderful 2014 documentary series “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History,” available on PBS Passport, or through Amazon Prime with a free 7-day trial.

Because of the demands of the role, the theater has announced that Artistic Director Lee Mikeska Gardner will perform at Saturday afternoon performances.

“Eleanor” is an icon portrayed brilliantly, powerfully, and poignantly.

The Central Square Theater production of “Eleanor.” Written by Mark St. Germain. Directed by Bryn Boice. At the Central Square Theater through Oct. 11. Centralsquaretheater.org

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