Special of the Week; NET Opera Theater: The Trial of Mary Lincoln
- Series
- Special of the Week
- Producing Organization
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- National Educational Television and Radio Center
- Contributing Organization
- WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/15-203xtp50
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- Description
- Episode Description
- The Trial of Mary Lincoln The world premiere of Thomas Pasatieri's work, commissioned by NET Opera Theater, with libretto by Anne Howard Bailey. Mezzo soprano Elaine Bonazzi is Mary Lincoln, the President's widow, facing a court hearing on charges of insanity just 10 years after her husband's death. Based on the actual insanity trial of President Lincoln's widow, this opera is the first commissioned work to be produced by NET Opera Theater. The action begins in May of 1875 at Cook County Courthouse, Chicago, scene of Mary Lincoln's trial. The plaintiff is her son Robert; her sister Elizabeth is among the witnesses. The opera then recalls the tragic events that underlie Mary's disturbed state. It also explores the personality traits that often placed her in conflict with her husband, her other intimates, and her society. "She was a woman with ambition, will and drive," says Miss Bailey. "But at that time her only outlet was marriage. And so she developed a lifelong habit of meddling in the President's affairs." Among the historical events on which the opera focuses are: - The conflict between Mary and Robert over control of her finances, just a year before the trial. - Abe's decision to break the engagement in 1841, and Mary's proud response to this man of "coarse jokes,AeP moods and melancholy." - A party celebrating Lincoln's election to the Presidency in 1860, during which Mary disputes her husband's choice of William Seward as Secretary of State. - Mary's flamboyance in time of war, which rouses national animosity, though she argues "Power must look the part." - Her unstinting efforts on behalf of the wounded Union soldiers. - Her ambivalent position as sister of two Confederate soldiers, leading to Lincoln's testimony before a Congressional committee challenging her loyalty to the Union. - Her personal tragedies: the death of three children, and finally the assassination of the President. Throughout the opera. President Lincoln is offstage, permitting the focus to be unswervingly on Mary Lincoln. NET Opera Theater "The Trial of Mary Lincoln" is a production of NET Division, Educational Broadcasting Corporation, transmitted nationally by PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This hour long piece was shot in color. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Broadcast Date
- 1972-02-14
- Asset type
- Episode
- Genres
- Drama
- Topics
- Performing Arts
- Media type
- Sound
- Credits
-
-
Art Director: Adler, Herman Peter
Associate Producer: Griffiths, David
Composer: Pasatieri, Thomas
Conductor: Adler, Herman Peter
Costume Designer: Brown, Lewis
Director: Browning, Kirk
Music: Adler, Herman Peter
Producer: Adler, Peter Herman
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
Producing Organization: National Educational Television and Radio Center
Set Designer: Ritman, William
Writer: Bailey, Anne Howard
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
WGBH
Identifier: 0000231318 (WGBH Barcode)
Format: 2 inch audio tape
Generation: Original
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- Citations
- Chicago: “Special of the Week; NET Opera Theater: The Trial of Mary Lincoln,” 1972-02-14, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed July 8, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-203xtp50.
- MLA: “Special of the Week; NET Opera Theater: The Trial of Mary Lincoln.” 1972-02-14. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. July 8, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-203xtp50>.
- APA: Special of the Week; NET Opera Theater: The Trial of Mary Lincoln. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-203xtp50