There’s No One Like You, Eleanor, Really

Veteran actress Kandis Chappell, whose theatrical credits pepper the country from Broadway to Los Angeles, leapt at the chance to portray Eleanor Roosevelt in the one-woman play by Mark St. Germain titled simply Eleanor. The former First Lady was frequently named one of the most admired women in America both during her 12-plus years in the White House and for many years after her husband Franklin’s death in office. 

But the play, which runs at the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura from May 16-31, doesn’t focus so much on that time in the public eye, a matter of historical record, but rather her inner life, her private thoughts, and the formative years that shaped who she was. 

“Her political activity and the humanitarian things she was famous for are mentioned, and that alone is a great story, but here you find out what she lived through personally and what she became,” Chappell explained. “You get to know her personal journey, and when you realize what she went through – starting with her childhood – to turn into the person she became, it’s absolutely astounding.”

While she relied on the script and Director David Ellenstein, a frequent collaborator, to navigate the nuances of the one-woman show, Chappell also did some of her own research to gain perspective. 

“I read a lot of books, and watched several videos, including Ken Burns’ Roosevelts and a miniseries with Jane Alexander as Eleanor. You also find clips on YouTube of her actually speaking, which helped me with her voice and mannerisms.” 

The more she learned, the more the actress was impressed by Mrs. Roosevelt, noting “my own admiration for her just increased by leaps and bounds.” 

Eleanor off the bat refused to be a White Housewife who was simply a domestic ornament, Chappell said. 

“What she accomplished there and then in so many years after… I mean, I think of myself as a fairly strong person, but I’m not in the same league as Eleanor. The strength of character, the way she stood up for the people who don’t have a voice. Just amazing. If she were around now, I think she would be going a mile a minute in today’s political scene to make things better all the time.”

Eleanor is set in a cemetery in Washington, D.C., which Chappell said was a “getaway” location for the first lady during challenging times. 

“She would go sit there and just be, so it’s where her spirit comes to sit and think, to try to find the answers to something in her life that she didn’t fully understand at the time.” 

Along the way, the actress also portrays almost 15 other characters, including her husband and “Uncle Teddy,” the former president, as well as friends, family and other historical figures. The play runs 80 minutes straight through, but Chappell shows no signs of slowing down despite playing the character almost exclusively for more than three years. 

“Even when I’m not doing the play, the character percolates in me when I don’t even know I’m thinking about it, so that each time I come to it, I find something new,” she said. “The person of Eleanor, and the play itself, combine to create an opportunity that makes you use all your muscles as an actor, all the tools at your command. I find that thrilling. The harder it is, the more interesting and exciting it is to me.”

And she hasn’t grown tired of Eleanor’s impact on the audience. 

“Complete strangers wait to see me after the show so they can tell me their Eleanor stories,” she said. “People are so touched by her in this show because they’re learning a whole new side of her. That excites me every time.” 

Theater Tidbits

A cast of 10 that includes Westmont faculty member Mitchell Thomas comes together for a dramatic reading of Queen of Cups, the new epic poem/play by Judy Grahn that will be presented over the course of three performances by the site-specific theater company More Theater Santa Barbara. Concerned about an eco-catastrophe, the Queen of Cups has called for a Conference of Changes, and among the attendees will be the mythological figures planet Earth Ma, the goddess of love Helena, Mary Magdalen, Whirling (played by company Founder Meg Kruszewska, who also directs), the half-bird/half-man boatman Oracle (Thomas), the Scientist Simon, the headless ghost of John, Boot the Dog, and a chorus of Microbes. Each performance covers a different section of the epic, although they also work as standalone pieces, with Introductions and Stories on May 16, The Gifts on May 17, and Evaluating on May 18, all at 2 pm, at the Balboa Building Conference Auditorium, 735 State Street.

Visit www.moretheatersb.com

Out of the Box Theatre Co., which recently completed its 15th season with its first-ever revisited musical in Assassins at Center Stage Theatre, also goes off-site for a one-shot at The Blue Owl at 6:30 pm on May 16. The Best of Broadway features cast members new and old in an evening of favorite Broadway hits as part of OOB’s Songbook Series musical theater cabaret.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/OOTB-BlueOwl

Anima: Theater of the Feminine Underground, the ritual performance art collaborative that serves as a hybrid of theatrical expression and spiritual pursuit, returns to Center Stage Theatre for a pair of performances May 14-15 with an ever-expanding cast. See my Spirituality Matters column for details. 

The area high school spring musicals bonanza comes to a close this weekend with the final performances of Curtains, the Kander & Ebbs Broadway backstage comedy caper, May 14-15 at 7 pm – Dos Pueblos High School’s Elings Performing Arts Center.

Details and tickets at www.dphstheatrecompany.org/shows