Central Square Theater Resurrects Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor is a one-actor play starring Paula Plum as the titular Eleanor Roosevelt. The play is structured as primarily a monologue delivered by Eleanor as she reflects, after her death, on her life and marriage to FDR. However, the story doesn't focus only on her time as First Lady. It also touches on Eleanor's personal relationships and her childhood, including her favorite teacher at boarding school and her complicated relationship with her father.

Since there is only one actor, dialogue with other characters such as FDR is structured as if Eleanor is speaking to someone offstage, but we only hear her side of the conversation. Despite this, the play remains engaging. Sometimes, briefly, Plum would shift roles from Eleanor to another character such as Churchill, adapting her body language and voice to convey the shift in character being portrayed. The set design consisted of couple of green leafy walls and benches depicting a park, with occasional images projected onto the walls. The simplicity of the design served to keep the focus on Eleanor herself.

While it was sometimes difficult to identify when certain reflections took place, since the play does not always move in a chronological order, viewers leave with a deeper knowledge of Eleanor Roosevelt's life and legacy. The show runs 80 minutes with no intermission and is playing at Central Square Theater until October 11.