Marcia G. Yerman: Helen Gahagan Douglas - A Woman for All Seasons

There were numerous subtexts up for consideration at the May 1st performance in New York City of "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Helen Gahagan Douglas." However, front and center was the portrait of Helen Gahagan Douglas and the recounting of her evolution from a privileged Republican, Broadway star to incorruptible Congresswoman. She ran against Richard Nixon for the United States Senate in 1950, and the elements that were introduced into the political scene via this race, are what makes this account so pertinent. Originally floated as a movie script, with various stars attached to the project, it has been relaunched as a play by co-authors Michele Willens and Wendy Kout. Willens, a journalist who interviewed Gahagan Douglas in 1973, and Kout, a screenwriter/producer, agreed that in today's election climate, the story needed to be told. "A cautionary tale," is how Kout described the script. In 2006, the play became a finalist at the O'Neill Playwrights Conference. The evening's staged reading ... [link]