In 1875, 10 years after her husband's assassination, Mary Todd Lincoln was declared legally insane and committed to an asylum by her son Robert. Some of the evidence used against the former first lady included her fondness for the occult, her fear of being murdered, and—as she told one doctor—her belief that Indian spirits were pulling wires out of her eyes. It seems that Mary could have used a little R&R, but that wouldn't make for much of a story. Instead, writer June Bingham and composer-lyricist Carmel Owen run with the theory that her politically ambitious son held her prisoner there. Portrayed as more of a mild eccentric than a psychotic shrew, Mary neatly explains away her supposed delusions. (Those Indian spirits? Migraines, she says. Crazy spells?... More >>>