The Wilma Theater presents a raucous historical satire The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames.
Directed by Wilma HotHouse Company member and Barrymore Award-winning Brett Ashley Robinson, the spicy satire pulls America’s first First Lady into a hallucinatory reckoning where satire and history collide and the myths of freedom are put brutally on trial. The play arrives on the heels of the recent controversial decision by the Federal government to remove plaques detailing the history of slaves at the President’s House in Independence National Historical Park.
The cast features local actors Nancy Boykin, Jayson Brown, Kimberly S. Fairbanks, Ciera Garner, Jada Mayo, HotHouse member Anthony Martinez-Briggs, and Steven Wright.
Miz Martha begins with feverish Martha Washington (Boykin), laid low on her deathbed. As her mind slips, Martha is dragged into a delirious trial and American virtue is put on merciless display. The Wilma delivers Ijames’s savage satire with fearless physicality, high-stakes clowning, and striking imagery.
If You Go:
- Previews are from Tuesday, March 17, to Tuesday, March 24, and a pay-what-you-wish admission.
- The production opens on Wednesday, March 25, at 7 p.m. and runs through Sunday, April 5.
- Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at www.wilmatheater.org or by calling the Wilma’s box office at 215-546-7824.
- Runtime of two hours, including a 15-minute intermission
- Recommended for audiences 13 years or older.
Post expires at 1:13pm on Sunday April 5th, 2026