By Carlyn Hudson
A piece of Camelot is coming to Somerville very soon, with a performance about one of America’s most elegant first ladies.
Boston actress Robin Lane will dramatize the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m. at the Somerville Branch of the Somerset County Library System. The performance, “An American Original: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis,” is funded by the library and free to the public.
In this one-woman show, Lane reveals the real Jacqueline Onassis, the private woman behind the public mask, while keeping alive the mystique and the magic that was Jackie. Return to Camelot, the era when America enjoyed its own version of royalty. In this moving portrayal, the audience experiences Jackie’s first meeting with young John Kennedy, senator from Massachusetts, their wedding day, the three years in the White House and those final moments when Camelot ended in a blaze of gunfire.
Viewers will learn of Jackie’s passionate commitment to keep alive the memory and contributions of JFK, of her devotion to her children and her determination to protect them from the glare of publicity. Jackie is seen during her years as an editor, a perfect fit because of her passion for books. Her comment when asked about her marriage to Aristotle Onassis, “He rescued me at a moment when my life was engulfed with shadows.” Camelot lives again in the personal portrayal of a woman who found her way into the hearts of Americans.
Lane — actress, author, director and producer — has presented her original one-woman plays in theaters, schools, colleges and museums throughout the United States and has frequently been asked to return with each new production.
The library is located at 35 West End Avenue, adjacent to the Borough Hall building in Somerville, NJ. Walk-ins are welcome, but registration is encouraged. To register for this program call the library at (908) 725-1336, ext. 10. For more information about the library’s programming or any of its services, please visit the Somerville Public Library’s website at http://somerset.lib.nj.us, or contact Carlyn Hudson, at (908) 725-1336, ext. 15.
