Theatrical play about Dirksen’s life moves to staged-reading phase

A new stage play about the life of Sen. Everett McKinley Dirksen is taking the next step toward production, with a nationally recognized actor portraying the Illinois senator.

Darrell Hammond of "Saturday Night Live" fame will take on the character of Dirksen during a staged reading of “The Honorable Mister Marigold” in New York beginning in late October. Known for his work as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" where his impersonations have included Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Donald Trump and Sean Connery; Hammond has also made guest appearances in TV dramas including “Damages,” “Law & Order,” and “Criminal Minds.”

The staged reading is the next step in a play's development after it's been written and revised. It brings actors into the process to help refine the details of a performance and make final adjustments to the script.

It will be read through multiple times over a two-week period, culminating in performances for theater directors who will decide whether to book the project for upcoming seasons.

The Dirksen Congressional Center in Pekin commissioned the play in 2021. It has since gone through several drafts under the pen of playwright Wade Dooley, a Bartonville native now based in the New York City area.

Dooley interned in the office of U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood before moving on to a career in the theater, both as an actor and as a playwright. He spent time in the Dirksen Center's archives, researching and reviewing Dirksen’s speeches. Much of Dirksen's dialogue in the play comes from his public statements and writings.

“I can’t wait for audiences to spend a little time with Everett Dirksen,” Dooley said in a news release. “His words will make you laugh, cry, and wish for more bipartisan public servants like him.”

The show is set during Dirksen's final days as he was receiving treatments for lung cancer at Walter Reed Medical Center. Famously accessible to the press, Dirksen holds a pre-interview with a young, Black woman television journalist helping to prepare a profile on him.

Their discussion looks at the senator's life, his legacy on racial equality and the political debates and personal tumult of the Vietnam War experienced by families across America.

It also highlights Dirksen's focus on principle and pragmatism, as well is a reputation for theatrics, which he developed by years performing on stages from his hometown Pekin Union Mission theater to the well of the U.S. Senate.

"I think America today yearns for public servants like Everett Dirksen, who brought both humanity and dignity to the position of U.S. Senator," Dirksen Center Executive Director Tiffany White said. "He placed the good of the country above all else and was willing to work in good faith alongside even those with whom he disagreed in order to find common ground. Particularly as we approach the 60th anniversary of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act that Sen. Dirksen shepherded to passage, we really believe his values will resonate with audiences who miss that approach to leadership."

This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Theatrical play about Dirksen’s life moves to staged-reading phase