‘Truly Eleanor’ brings First Lady to life

By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Special Correspondent

Sherborn's Community Center was packed on October 3 with people eager to watch a play about one of America's most beloved first ladies. The three person play, presented by the Delvena Theatre Company, covers the life of Eleanor Roosevelt from her difficult childhood with an alcoholic father and absent mother to her days as a representative for the United Nations.

"Truly Eleanor" opens with an old radio announcement introducing the audience to the whereabouts of Eleanor Roosevelt and the threats towards her. Following the brief introduction, Eleanor introduces herself, taking time to shake the audience members' hands.

Even with only three actors, the play manages to successfully present a cast of energetic characters. Joseph Zamparelli manages to switch between playing two of the most lively characters in American history: Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Zamparelli portrays Theodore Roosevelt's uplifting spirit with pep-talks and advice that helped encourage Eleanor to overcome her inhibiting shyness, including: "Receive peoples' love and they will love you."

Zamparelli’s character, Franklin, evolves from being a timid graduate of Harvard to hard-working president. He falls in love with Eleanor, though his affair with her secretary causes a rift in their relationship. Despite their strained marriage, Eleanor is the person who pushes Franklin forward through his struggles with Polio, questioning his political career, and dealing with some of the most harrowing issues he had to face during his presidency.

Eleanor becomes his eyes and ears when he is no longer able to walk, taking on a role like no other first lady before her. Her excitable brainstorming session brought laughs to all as she attempts to convince her husband to be involved with multiple causes, despite his desperate pleas for her to let him go to bed. Eleanor wants to help fix everything plaguing the country: the civil rights movement, child labor laws, and the plight of veterans, for example.

Fran Baron plays two of the most influential women in Eleanor's life: former first daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth and Sara Delano Roosevelt. Baron provides narration and critiques of Eleanor through out the show, giving the audience an insight into how other contemporaries viewed Eleanor.

The playwright, Lynne Moulton, plays the fabulous first lady herself. Moulton integrates the audience into the personal experiences of Roosevelt, telling them, "You've been so kind that I feel like I can tell you this." Her kind addresses and spirited perseverance makes the performance a warm, story-book biography of Eleanor.

Eleanor's ability to move past her fear encourages the audience to move past their own, whatever they may be.

"I will be fearless," she promises, and then proves to the audience that she is indeed just that.