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M*A*S*H star Loretta Swit breathes life into one of history’s most intriguing first ladies, Eleanor Roosevelt. The action follows the years after World War I as Eleanor’s canny and clear-eyed intelligence helped her evolve from an ugly duckling into a powerful woman. Eleanor is a deeply personal portrait of the woman who brought warmth and compassion to issues of war, peace, and human rights.

Eleanor starring Loretta Swit is playing on Wednesday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre located at Parker Road and Waterford Drive. This performance is part of the Florissant Fine Arts Council’s Applause/Applause series of professional national and international touring companies. Tickets are $27 for adults and $25 for seniors and students. Call the box office 314-921-5678 for tickets and information or go online at www.florissantfinearts.com.

Throughout her life, Eleanor Roosevelt found the courage to face her challenges and discovered they made her stronger. From supportive spouse of an American aristocrat and politician to wronged wife to advocate for the rights of those who had no champion, Eleanor grew at every step. The play begins when President Truman asks her to head the American delegation to the newly created United Nations. Knowing this would be a big step for any woman, she reviews her life before deciding to accept the offer that ultimately landed her on the world stage.

Loretta Swit, best known for her Emmy-winning role as “Hot Lips” Houlihan on TV’s M*A*S*H, has spent most of her career on stage. Swit stayed with the series for 11 seasons and appeared in numerous TV movies, including “The Execution,” in which she played a concentration camp survivor plotting to murder her Nazi oppressor. She also appeared on the TV series “Diagnosis Murder, ” “Murder She Wrote,” “Love Boat,” and “Burke’s Law.

This is a play by Rhoda Lerman about  Eleanor Roosevelt’s journey from the White House to the United Nations.

The FFAC presents the Applause/Applause series with financial support from the Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Arts Council (a state agency) and the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis.