Press

NYS MUSEUM HOSTS ABE LINCOLN IN “TWO MILES A PENNY” APRIL 14-16 ALBANY - During the weekend commemorating the 140th anniversary of his assassination and death, the nation’s 16th president returns to life at the New York State Museum April 14-16th in the theatrical production “Abraham Lincoln in Two Miles a Penny.”

The play will be presented Thursday, April 14th at 1 p.m., Friday, April 15th at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 16th at 1 p.m.

Actor Ed Trotta, a 33-year veteran of Broadway, stage, films and television, portrays a Lincoln who has traveled through time to the present. Speaking directly to the audience, he comments and reminisces about the myths and truths of his life - both public and private - and about the similarities and differences of the times in which he lived and the present. He shares his thoughts on “modern” events, such as the advent of the ballpoint pen, terrorism, splitting the atom and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Lincoln comments on the monuments built for him, transporting the audience to the Lincoln Memorial and Mount Rushmore, and reveals at the end of the play what his favorite tribute is. He also displays humor and master storytelling as he shares numerous anecdotes and “lore” that contributed to the legend of “Honest Abe.” The play’s title “Abraham Lincoln in Two Miles a Penny” stems from one anecdote in which Lincoln walked six miles to return three cents to a customer he’d unintentionally overcharged while working as a clerk in a dry goods store.

Trotta wrote the play he performs in and based it on extensive research he did into Lincoln’s life, from childhood to the presidency. He says it is the most rewarding of the many roles he has played which have included Henry VIII, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Don Quixote and others. Trotta also portrayed Lincoln on the Cartoon Network and in a nationally-broadcast television ad for Honda, which appeared in February and March. He has appeared in many films including Liar Liar, The King and I and Desert Heat, as well as TV shows such as Star Trek, MacGyver and Equal Justice. Broadway and national tour credits include Godspell and Sweet Bird of Youth.

Trotta also was the model used to create the tall, suit-clad passenger on the State Museum’s subway car, who holds on to a strap with one hand and his briefcase with the other.

Tickets for all performances are $5. They will be sold in the Museum lobby each day of the performance, starting at 10 a.m., and at the door. There will be no reserved seating. For additional information call (518) 474-5877 or (518) 408-1033.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation’s longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.