April 14-15 marks the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC. But you probably know that factoid, so what’s the connection between that tragedy and Dining With Strangers?
Back in February 2011 I had dinner in the District with Michael Krebs and Debra Ann Miller. They tour the country performing as Honest Abe and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln in a production called “Visiting the Lincolns.” Their two-person performance imagines the couple at the White House talking about all their lives, politics, triumphs and tragedies, in the hours before their fateful trip to the theater.
Michael is easy to imagine as Lincoln, as he towers over most people at 6 foot 4 inches and also has an impressive presidential beard. Both he and Debra were great company during the dinner interview and I highly recommend watching their show if possible.