by Jody Tuso-Key: Managing Editor

SANDY SPRINGS – Out of Box Theatre is in its final week of THE FIRST LADY’S GUIDE TO KILLING THE PRESIDENT by award-winning playwright Topher Payne. In this sarcastic, whistle-stop whirlwind of a production, the White House becomes less a seat of democracy and more a flaming locomotive hurtling downhill with monogrammed towels in the dining car. It’s 1923, corruption is blooming, scandals are multiplying faster than railroad delays, and President Warren G. Harding is charming his way through one catastrophic derailment after another. The play imagines an alternate ending to Harding’s life, and the result is a first-class ticket to glorious political chaos.

As the administration barrels across the country aboard a luxurious presidential train, First Lady Florence Harding finds herself trapped in increasingly claustrophobic quarters with her unfaithful and spectacularly clueless husband, his pet squirrel, and a parade of suspicious passengers: a savvy reporter, two overly enthusiastic mistresses, and a doctor who appears to practice medicine by simply throwing coal into the boiler and hoping for the best.

While the Teapot Dome scandal threatens to jump the tracks and political enemies circle like buzzards over a stalled caboose, Florence begins entertaining a bold new idea: perhaps the fastest way to save the presidency is to permanently punch the president’s ticket.

What follows is a rapid-fire farce packed with conspiracy theories, backroom deals, bad medicine, illicit romance, panic attacks in expensive suits, and one deeply judgmental squirrel. Blending historical absurdity with razor-sharp wit, the play transforms one of America’s messiest administrations into a champagne-fueled comedy where patriotism, murder, and marital frustration become hilariously difficult to separate. The entire production moves at the speed of an express train with no intention of stopping at sanity.

Florence Harding – Leigh-Ann Campbell plays the First Lady, political mastermind, and the only person in America actually keeping this locomotive on the rails. With perfect diction and regal composure, Florence built Warren’s career from the ground up, only to watch him spend his presidency collecting scandals like souvenir spoons from station gift shops. Elegant, intimidating, and permanently one inconvenience away from homicide, she’s beginning to suspect her husband’s untimely departure may be the only route to national stability.

President Warren G. Harding – Rial Ellsworth portrays a man with a penchant for choo-choos, attention span of a goldfish, and the luxury of presidential immunity. Warren is handsome, charming, affectionate, and utterly incapable of making a responsible decision even with a conductor screaming warnings from the platform. He treats the White House like a brothel with excellent wallpaper and absolutely no supervision.

Nan Britton – Jessie Kuipers arrives like a scandal in a maid disguise with absolute conviction. Young, determined, and far more politically consequential than anyone wants to admit, she’s a bubble-headed blonde outsider armed not with a cabinet position, but with enough secrets to blow the administration clean off the tracks.

Dr. Charles Sawyer – Leon Shields plays the President’s doctor, if you use the term “doctor” with the flexibility of a railroad timetable in 1923. Sawyer sports an outfit reminiscent of the 1700s (think HAMILTON) and dispenses enough medical nonsense to accidentally tranquilize a horse. He’s bumbling and lovable, but every time he enters a room the collective IQ and life expectancy immediately leave the station. Oddly enough, he also manages to be the voice of reason more often than expected.

Evie McLean – Amanda Cucher embodies the Washington socialite, newspaper queen, and professional collector of gossip. Evie glides through political circles armed with diamonds, cocktails, and enough insider information to derail several marriages before dessert. She treats scandals the way other women treat bridge club: entertaining, competitive, and best enjoyed with champagne in the dining car. Payne reportedly wrote the role specifically for Amanda, and she wears it like a custom-tailored flapper gown.

Carrie Phillips – Shelly McCook plays Warren Harding’s longtime lover and the human embodiment of “this train is absolutely headed for disaster.” Carrie is glamorous, manipulative, and fully aware of the effect she has on powerful men. While Warren attempts to keep her hidden away like contraband in a closet, Carrie refuses to stay compartmentalized. She arrives trailing perfume, secrets, cocaine tablets, and emotional destruction– along with a surprisingly useful understanding of the Constitution.

Grace Coolidge – Nuema Joy portrays America’s future First Lady and the only passenger aboard this train who appears remotely emotionally stable. Grace is charming, observant, and far smarter than her sunny smile suggests. While everyone else spirals into corruption, adultery, and nervous collapse, Grace literally circles the exterior of the train with the calm energy of a woman silently thanking God she married the other guy.

Handsome Pete the Squirrel – a tiny furry menace with better instincts than most of the Cabinet. Pete bites, steals, judges, defecates on classified documents, and may secretly be the only competent member of the federal government.

Director Matthew Busch has assembled a cast and creative team that operate like a well-oiled locomotive. The set and props designed by Carolyn Choe beautifully depicts a presidential train car with an old-fashioned Oval Office flair. A large desk on stage left is complemented by period furnishings, carpeting, and a smaller writing desk on stage right. The car includes an orator platform and classic entrances on either side, giving the entire production the feeling of a political circus rolling full steam ahead. Scenes are expertly blocked. The costumes and wigs are gorgeous, impeccably tailored, perfectly coiffed, and happen to be designed by Topher Payne himself. He relayed to me that Matthew’s vision for this production was art-deco inspired with elongated silhouettes which gave the work a new shape from its initial World premiere. The lighting (Nina Gooch) and sound design (Zip Ramey) provide subtle emotional cues without ever stealing the spotlight.

In the end, Topher Payne and Out of Box Theatre deliver far more than a political comedy with a deliciously wicked title. THE FIRST LADY’S GUIDE TO KILLING THE PRESIDENT is sharp, stylish, and gloriously unhinged enough to keep audiences leaning forward like passengers bracing for impact. Beneath the rapid-fire wit and scandalous scheming lies a surprisingly heartfelt reminder that power, loyalty, and survival have always been messy traveling companions in the White House. By the final curtain, you may not know who to trust, but you’ll absolutely feel like you’ve ridden the rails through one hilariously chaotic alternate chapter of American history. This production is Speakeysie recommended, and you only have four more chances to catch it at Act3 Playhouse. Grab tickets ASAP through Out of Box Theatre

As always, thanks for your readership and peace be with you!!