This one feels even more like a history lesson than
the last, facts and the emotions that go with them flying by in a kind of
summary record that’s only as interesting as your desire to hang on for the
ride.
Bill Rausch is again director and also, as before, supporting
players seem more like available vessels to contain the facts and keep the
exposition going, than actual historical human beings. Well, correction: this
is mostly true of the Caucasian cast. For whatever reason, the African American
members of the ensemble fare far better, even though, objectively speaking, the
cast all around is comprised of seasoned, many recognizable, A-level pros. At a
guess, and it’s only a guess, the
disparity occurs because the subplot threads involving Martin Luther King, Jr.
(Grantham Coleman) are emotionally
hotter on a personal level; where Johnson and his staff are once-removed
decision makers, King and company literally have their lives on the line.
The Great
Society continues too the unfortunate
theatrical paradox that, for me, plagued the first play, All the Way…which is that in honoring the need for a charismatic
actor as LBJ, to roar his way through the Texas-born pol's good ol’ boy characteristics, the
play perforce misrepresents him. LBJ was sly and smart and arguably the best
beltway deal maker in history, also profane and quotable…but he was anything but charismatic (his very
dullness was key to his stealth). I suppose it’s possible that if you didn’t live through his Presidency, you might
not know the difference—though video and audio of him, speaking to the public
and behind the scenes, some of both sourced for the plays, is readily available
online. But I think either way, you might sense the lack of authenticity in the
portrayal of Brian Cox. I was
constantly aware of an actor workin’ it.
Not that I blame him. Or anyone else in the cast. When
you have a roster of actors that good, coming off as that artificial, you can
bet on it being a function of script and direction. And not that I think Mr.
Schenkkan and Mr. Rausch are inept or in any way unprofessional, either. This
isn’t random or unaware work. They’ve made carefully considered, cleanly
executed and very conscious choices.
It’s just that, ironically, the consequences of those choices take thunder away
from the choices have consequences themes
they mean to convey.
(As a postscript—the closest you may come to an accurate actor's portrayal of LBJ is the video record of a better play, James Prideaux' Lyndon, a one-hander, as sensitively performed by Laurence Luckinbill. You can see a pro-recorded live video of it here.)
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