Review: Land of the Free, Southwark Playhouse 

When the presidents of the United States are addressed in any way, most people would either immediately think of, or most certainly recognise, the name of Abraham Lincoln, arguably one of the most famous of them all. From the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC to the five-dollar bill and the penny, the image of Lincoln is everywhere. 

This fascination with Lincoln has evolved into what author Jan Morris in her book LINCOLN: A Foreigner’s Quest would refer to as the ‘the myth of Abraham Lincoln’. It portrays him with almost superhero qualities as the man who came from humble beginnings in a log cabin and worked his way up to becoming the 16th president of the United States. He’s considered to have saved the Union from being overrun by the South and put an end to slavery, only to be tragically assassinated not too long after. Every American child has heard this story in school and has grown up with the image of Lincoln everywhere, while politicians and media sources continually reference the man and his inspiring memory. 

In Land of the Free the Lincoln myth has crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the United Kingdom in a musical performance with a slight twist. This time the myth is not as much centred on the president (played by Clara Onyemere), but rather the actor John Wilkes Booth (Brandon Bassir) who assassinated him. Despite the conventional negativity around the image of Booth, it is now he that the production depicts in a myth-like format, as an energetic Southern young man who is passionate about politics, being recognised as an actor, and courting the ladies. There is some truth to this, as Booth was from a family of A-list actors and he himself was also one. However, the manner in which Booth is depicted doesn’t really support the argument which Land of the Free attempts to portray, namely parallels between current assassinations and the assassination attempts on past presidents and presidential candidates. 

Land of the Free makes a good attempt at a musical with political undertones, but somewhat lacks story and depth, which are essential to a production about the man who killed the most famous president in America. There is an underlying message about the violent political nature which America has been founded on, but this is overshadowed by the constantly changing scenes. Many times scenes play out so fast that the audience hardly has the time to get to know a character before they are transformed into an entirely different role. Booth runs rapidly around the stage, and presents himself more like a childish character who can’t seem to sit still than a confederate sympathiser who was deeply upset and very angry about the outcome of the Civil War.  There is no clear direction to where Land of the Free is going and too much information is crammed into a short amount of time. 

With such a solid premise the show has potential to be as great as Hamilton, a truly great musical production about a different America war. Perhaps with further work one may hope to see Land of the Free evolve into a future masterpiece. 

Produced by: Simple8
Directed by: Sebastian Armesto
Written by: Dudley Hinton
Production Manager: Chris Buffham 

Land of the Free plays at Southwark Playhouse until until Saturday 9 November. Further information and booking details can be found here.