As wife to John Adams, our country’s first vice president for nearly a decade, followed by her one term duties as the “first” First Lady to reside in the newly constructed White House, Abigail Adams made history as the woman referred to as “Mrs. President.”
Actress and historian Leslie Goddard is returning to the Theatre at the Center stage in Munster to share the true account of Abigail Adams in her new one-woman play “Abigail Adams: First Lady of Firsts” for eight performances Sept. 16-20, 2026
“There are so many reasons First Lady Abigail Adams is such a perfect persona to adapt as one of my play presentations,” said Goddard, who planned the play’s special staging premiere at Theatre at the Center as programming to celebrate the U.S.A.’s 250th Birthday.
“Abigail was a letter-writer, and so much of her correspondence to her husband and others has been wonderfully preserved and published, so it made it very easy to adapt this play script in her own true voice and sentences.”
More than simply the wife of President John Adams, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, who became secretary of state during his parents’ lifetime and then the nation’s sixth president, Abigail was a remarkable figure in her own right. In this captivating living-history performance, award-winning actress and scholar Goddard in her period costuming brings to life the First Lady to follow Martha Washington’s lead, recounting her extraordinary journey and sharing insights from her extensive catalogued correspondence.
Audiences hear about her famous appeal to her husband to “remember the ladies” as the new nation was being formed during this engaging, 90-minute, one intermission one-woman play crafted from historical records to reveal Abigail’s wit and offer a glimpse at one of the greatest love stories of all time.
Drawing from her theatrical background and experience as a researcher and historian, Goddard has previously presented her one-woman performances at Theatre at the Center adopting the identities of Julia Child in September 2023, then as Amelia Earhart in July 2024 and most recently, as Titanic survivor Violet Jessop earlier last year in March 2025, before stepping into the high-buttoned shoes of Victorian murderess Lizzie Borden in October 2025, with all of her performance runs earning standing ovations. A question and answer session is included at every performance.
Directed by and with set design by Philip Potempa, the Theatre at the Center stage will be transformed into the partially completed main entrance foyer of “The President’s House,” which is the name given during the November 1800 construction of what is today’s White House, a time span when the structure only had one of the three-floors finished and only six of the planned 100 rooms completed. The play run includes both matinee and evening performances. Tickets are $40 and available at the box office by calling 219-836-3255 or visit www.TheatreAtTheCenter.com.
For an additional $30, guests can add a pre-show themed meal inspired by the White House entertaining menus of the era.
The themed meal lunch option menu features White House Garden Vegetable Soup followed by Roasted Chicken and Dressing with a Creamy Supreme Sauce, Homestyle Mashed Potatoes and Corn on the Cob with Abigail’s Apple Pan Dowdy a la Mode as dessert. The themed meal add-on option is only available for Wednesday, Sept. 16 prior to the 2 p.m. matinee performance with dining room doors open at 11:30 a.m. and lunch served at noon.
For the 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20 show, for an additional $35, guests can add the Sunday Champagne Brunch before the Sunday matinee closing performance. Seating is available for 11 am, noon or 1 pm. Both meals are in the grand ballroom presented by 10Forty Banquets & Catering Inc. with reservations available by calling 219-836-1930, ext. 2.
MORE ABOUT ABIGAIL
“People have been fascinated for centuries about Abigail and her relationship with other key historical figures like her predecessor Martha Washington and then Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who beat John Adams in the election to become our country’s third president,” said award-winning stage personality Goddard , who won the Philip A. Danielson Award for her portrayal of art collector and Chicago hotel maven and socialite Bertha Honore Palmer.
“Even before she was in the White House, Abigail was a political influencer, such as joining the wives of other prominent leaders to not serve any English tea after the extreme taxation that resulted in the Boston Tea Party of 1773.”
Abigail created her own household blend of tea, a must since tea varieties were the most popular consumed hot beverage of the day, by blending sassafras root with dried strawberry leaves and a hint of sage herb and calling it “LIBER-Tea.” Audiences will be served a complimentary cup and saucer of Abigail’s tea at all performances.
Goddard is an award-winning historian, author, actor and lecturer who has been presenting on topics in American history and women’s history for 20 years. She holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Northwestern University as well as master’s degrees in both museum studies and in theater. A former museum director, she currently works full-time as a public speaker and author. Her presentations have been seen by audiences in more than 30 states, including scores of universities, museums, libraries, festivals, and civic organizations.
Born in Illinois, Leslie is known nationally for her work bringing women’s history alive with her repertoire of famous women which include Lucille Ball, first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy, as well as Abigail Adams, film star Bette Davis, comedienne Gilda Radner, novelist Louisa May Alcott and modern artist Georgia O’Keeffe.
During more than a decade working as a museum educator and exhibit developer, she developed a passion for mid-19th through early 20th century American history, popular culture, vintage clothing, and biography. She served as director of the Graue Mill and Museum in Oak Brook, Illinois, before founding her own business as a full-time solo performer and lecturer.
A lifelong resident of Illinois, she is the author of three books on Chicago history: “Remembering Marshall Field’s,” “Lost Chicago Department Stores” and “Chicago’s Sweet Candy History.”
She graduated with an undergraduate degree in theater and English from Stanford University and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband Bruce and their two black pugs.
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