Latest news with #OurAmericanCousin
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Opinion: All the MAGA Musicals Trump's Kennedy Center Could Perform
MAGA has been in an uproar lately about something vitally important to the nation. Is it the tariffs that are about to tank the economy? No. Is it the fact that the Trump administration is actively looking to suspend habeas corpus? Absolutely not. Is it that President Trump is accepting a $400 million bribe-plane from Qatar to use as Air Force One? Somehow also no! Instead, the right-wing chorus is furious about the fact that they might have to see a few understudies in a Kennedy Center production of 'Les Miserables' next month. Egads. According to a CNN report, as many as a dozen cast members in the show plan to call out on the night that Trump is attending. Beyond the dramatic production of a society rebelling against its uber-rich upper classes, however, the night that also includes a fundraiser that costs up to $2 million to attend. But let's put aside the fact that these cast members are basically just opting out of a political moment they never agreed to be a part of. (Although, ahem, I do feel like a lot of people are just skipping over that fact.) Because what I'm fascinated by is the fact that Republicans are getting into musical theatre. Historically, Republicans haven't been all that into the performing arts. Basically, Abraham Lincoln went to see 'Our American Cousin' that one time, and ever since then the whole party has been like 'You know what? We'll stick to rodeos and NASCAR.' But that doesn't mean there isn't a place for MAGA in musicals. In fact, I'd argue that there are relevant storylines everywhere, if you just know where to look. Consider 'The Sound of Music,' one of the most beloved musicals in history. Raindrops on roses and sassy nuns in the Swiss alps, what's not to love? Well, the military leading man dumps an age-appropriate woman to date the nanny, whistles at her, then expects her to immediately become mother to seven children. And like a typical trad wife, Maria makes clothes from curtains and sings about her obsession with herding goats. The oldest kid? Dating a Nazi. I'm going to say that MAGA can find something to love here. Moving on to 'The Music Man.' Well, the ensemble cast villainizes a librarian, accusing her of promoting smutty books. Then a charismatic man shows up, gaslights the community with lies about what he will do for them and demands an over-the-top parade. Sound familiar? And don't get me started on 'Annie,' the musical most sung by tiny little belters until 'Frozen.' There's an alcoholic woman wearing too much makeup appointed to a leadership position, in which she thwarts child labor laws. There's a billionaire mogul who decides he wants a boy child, and is furious when he gets a girl. Oh, and that same billionaire? He has a weirdly close relationship with the President, demands leader of the free world stop everything to cater to his every whim, and hits on a much younger employee while insisting on being called 'Daddy.' Oh, and there is also cruelty to dogs. Here's the thing: I can't pretend I'm not excited to watch them discover musical theatre. With Republicans canceling National Endowment for the Arts grants like they're open-mic comedians who think they can say the 'N' word, the performing arts world deserves all the paying customers it can get. Theatre is, by nature, the art of showing us all what it's like to be someone else. And oh my god is that empathy needed right now. And one last thing: understudies? They're fantastic. I know this might not be something Donald Trump can wrap his head around, but understudies are the people who spend countless weeks rehearsing, not because they'll get the big bow at the end, but just for the love of the game. So if you ever get the honor of seeing an understudy step out onstage and become a star, take it. They are the heart and souls of the theater, and you'd be lucky to get to see one of them perform, much less ten.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Deseret News archives: Nation mourned after President Lincoln's death at assassin's hands
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives. On April 15, 1865, Abraham Lincoln died after being shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater the previous evening; Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th president hours later. And just like that, a nation was without its leader, its commander in chief, its uniter in chief. On April 11, President Lincoln spoke to a crowd outside the White House, saying, 'We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart.' The speech occurred only days after the surrender at Appomattox Court House of Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia to Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, which had signaled the effective end of the American Civil War. It was the last public address Lincoln would deliver. On April 14, Lincoln and his wife attended a performance of the play 'Our American Cousin' at Ford's Theatre in Washington. He was shot in the head by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. After he was shot, Lincoln was taken to a boarding house across the street and died the following morning at 7:22 am. Lincoln's death plunged much of the country into despair, and the search for Booth and his accomplices was the largest manhunt in American history to that date. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about Lincoln's death and what he meant to the nation: 'On 150th anniversary, Lincoln's hometown re-enacts funeral' 'Lincoln was important to Utah throughout presidency' 'Diligence, care, beliefs, unity — on the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's death, we should live up to his legacy' 'Rare tickets to Ford's Theatre for the night Lincoln was assassinated sold for $262K' 'Lincoln saved a nation but deflected credit to a greater power' 'Lincoln frequently worked with Latter-day Saint faithful' 'President trivia: Fun facts, details involving Abraham Lincoln'
Chicago Tribune
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: President Abraham Lincoln shot
Today is Monday, April 14, the 104th day of 2025. There are 261 days left in the year. Today in history: On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of the play 'Our American Cousin' at Ford's Theatre in Washington; Lincoln was taken to a boarding house across the street and died the following morning at 7:22 am. Also on this date: In 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster's 'American Dictionary of the English Language' was published. In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m., ship's time, and began sinking. (The ship went under two and a half hours later, killing over 1,500 people.) In 1910, William Howard Taft became the first U.S. president to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game as the Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics 3-0. In 1935, the devastating 'Black Sunday' dust storm descended upon the central Plains as hundreds of thousands of tons of airborne topsoil turned a sunny afternoon into total darkness. In 1981, the first test flight of America's first operational space shuttle, the Columbia, ended successfully with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In 2021, A white former suburban Minneapolis police officer, Kim Potter, was charged with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest. (Potter would be found guilty and serve 16 months in prison.) Today's Birthdays: Former NYPD detective Frank Serpico is 89. Actor Julie Christie is 85. Rock musician Ritchie Blackmore is 80. Actor Peter Capaldi is 67. Actor Brad Garrett is 65. Actor Robert Carlyle is 64. Golf Hall of Famer Meg Mallon is 62. Baseball Hall of Famer Greg Maddux is 59. Actor Anthony Michael Hall is 57. Actor Adrien Brody is 52. Rapper Da Brat is 51. Actor Sarah Michelle Gellar is 48. Actor-producer Rob McElhenney is 48. Actor Abigail Breslin is 29.
Boston Globe
14-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Today in History: April 14, Abraham Lincoln fatally shot at Ford's Theatre
In 1772, American colonists in Weare, N.H., attacked and beat Sheriff Benjamin Whiting and Deputy John Quigley after they had arrested, then released, a saw mill operator for violating royal rules governing the harvesting of pine trees. Those rules stated the biggest trees must be used only to build warships for Britain. The attack, one of the first direct confrontations leading to the American Revolution, would become known as the Pine Tree Riot. In 1775, 250 years ago, General Thomas Gage received order from Lord Dartmouth, commanding him 'to arrest and imprison the principal actors & abettors in the Provincial Congress' in Massachusetts, a group Dartmouth called 'a rude Rabble without plan.' Five days later, his army left their barracks en toute to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock and seize arms in Concord. Also on this day, the Provincial Congress issued a recommendation to citizens of Boston to leave for the country. Delegates also called for the training of militia units in artillery. Advertisement In 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster's 'American Dictionary of the English Language' was published. Advertisement In 1865, President Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of the play 'Our American Cousin' at Ford's Theatre in Washington. Lincoln was taken to a boarding house across the street and died the following dayat 7:22 a.m. In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m., ship's time, and began sinking. (The ship went under two and a half hours later, killing over 1,500 people.) In 1910, William Howard Taft became the first US president to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game, as the Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics 3-0. In 1935, the devastating 'Black Sunday' dust storm descended upon the central Plains, as hundreds of thousands of tons of airborne topsoil turned a sunny afternoon into total darkness. In 1981, the first test flight of America's first operational space shuttle, the Columbia, ended successfully with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In 2021, A white former suburban Minneapolis police officer, Kim Potter, was charged with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest. (Potter would be found guilty and serve 16 months in prison.)
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
On This Day, April 14: First abolition society founded in North America
April 14 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1775, the first slavery abolition society in North America -- the Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage -- was founded by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush in Philadelphia. In 1828, Noah Webster published his American Dictionary of the English Language. It was the first dictionary of American English to be published. In 1861, the flag of the Confederacy was raised over Fort Sumter, S.C., as Union troops there surrendered in the early days of the Civil War. In 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln during a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington. Lincoln died the next morning. He was succeeded by Vice President Andrew Johnson. In 1918, two U.S. pilots of the First Aero Squadron shot down two enemy German planes over the Allied Squadron Aerodome in France during World War I. It was the first U.S.-involved dogfight in history. One of the pilots, Lt. Douglas Campbell, would eventually shoot down five enemy aircraft, making him the first U.S. flying ace. In 1927, the first Volvo was produced in Sweden. In 1931, King Alfonso XIII was deposed, ending 981 years of monarchical rule in Spain, and ushering in the Second Spanish Republic, the republican regime that governed Spain from 1931 to 1939. In 1939, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was published. In 1963, police broke up an Easter Sunday anti-segregation protest march in Birmingham, Ala., that saw Black Americans attend services at two white churches. In 1986, Bishop Desmond Tutu was named Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa. In 1994, in what was called a tragic mistake, two U.S. warplanes shot down two U.S. Army helicopters in northern Iraq's no-fly zone. All 26 people aboard were killed. In 2003, U.S. military officials declared that the principal fighting in Iraq was over after Marines captured Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town. In 2008, Silvio Berlusconi swept back into power in a third term as prime minister of Italy in a new election that gave him control of both houses of Parliament. In 2010, the devastating magnitude-7.1 Yushu earthquake staggered northwest China. Officials reported the death toll eventually surpassed 2,600, with many thousands of people injured. In 2013, Nicolas Maduro was elected president of Venezuela. In 2021, President Joe Biden announced he will withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, a plan that NATO's 30 member states agreed to following a meeting with U.S. military and foreign relations leaders.
