Diana's Research for I Like Mamie

Reviews

“I Like Mamie” is insightful look
into life of Boone’s First Lady
Andrew Nelson, Boone News Republican, July 4, 2018

It’s an interesting time to see a play about the life of a First Lady of the United States. Our notions about this very public role are in flux, as are many of our ideas about public politics. In her original one-woman play “I Like Mamie,” Diana Helmer imagines Mamie Doud Eisenhower in 1956, looking back over her life. In a period-pattern dress, hat and trademark bangs, Helmer constructs a narrative and portrait of Doud Eisenhower. If it had just been a woman in costume telling stories, the play would not have been as thoroughly captivating as it was. Three elements cohered to make the play succeed so well.

First, the choice of content and its weaving into vignettes was brilliantly accomplished. None of Helmer’s chosen material dragged or missed, and some of it—especially as she told of her children—drew the audience in to the point of breathlessness, laughter and tears. Watching someone in the distant past (62 years) look even further back was interesting from an historical standpoint, but the material became so personal, human and sometimes intimate that the audience almost felt a part of the retelling.

Second, Helmer didn’t hesitate to frame the play, which ran June 29 -July 1 at the Boone Community Theater, and include the audience. There wasn’t “audience participation,” but we and the actress were “in” on the performance together. A playwright created a role and play that she performed; the role and play create a portrait and performance. While it is happening we become aware that this sort of public performance is what all First Ladies, all public figures … this is what everyone does in creating their personae and their stories.

Last, this Mamie is a gracious, intelligent woman of high ideals and abundant class. We believe this. We also know this is what Mamie wants us to believe she is, and that’s ok. Only in one instance when addressing allegations of Ike’s alleged infidelity does the gracious façade give way to some real emotion—the claws come out, and we like Mamie the better for it. But in this day where we seemingly know everything about every public figure’s every waking minute and every thought no matter how trivial, it was good to have a reminder that there was a time when some things were left private, and not really knowing was just fine. “I Like Mamie” was an excellent addition to the Boone Community Theatre’s season.