Fiction Collision

harrock and I saw A Civil War Christmas at the Huntington last night. Lovely singing; good acting; a bit too much "tell not show", though much better than How Shakespeare Won the West. More cross-casting than I'm used to in professional theater. Adorable horse, played by the same actor as played Abraham Lincoln. But, okay, that's not the funny part.

Here is a clip from a rehearsal, of Lincoln and his Cabinet, and Ward Hill Lamon, Lincoln's chief of security. And, apparently, the only guy who seems to think Lincoln needs keeping safe. You can see him enter at about 1:00, and start ranting about security at 1:30. He's a tallish (okay, not as tall as Lincoln), greying, bearded gentleman with no sense of humor, and the only person in the play worrying (obsessively, and rightfully, so) about Lincoln's safety. My God, it's Wei Han.

The other surprising part is that he's played by Stephen Russell, who was the voice actor for Garrett in Thief. (I have apparently also seen him in Talley's Folly at the Lyric, but not made the connection that it was the same person.)