The Great Society
Review by Elyse Trevers
Writing an effective sequel to a well-received novel or play is a challenge. Expectations are set high and sadly, audiences are often disappointed. In his masterful work, “All The Way,” playwright Robert Schenkkan creates an incredibly sympathetic portrait of JBJ, a consummate politician who became president through tragedy. Bryan Cranston’s outstanding performance as LBJ impressed audiences lucky enough to see him.
After LBJ was elected president in 1966, he sought to create a government that would focus on the poor with a “War on Poverty.” He sought to expand civil rights, Medicare, Medicaid, aid to education, and public services. In his follow-up play, Schenkkan depicts the frustrations that befall LBJ as he tries to push through his domestic policies to create “The Great Society.”
The playwright deftly creates a picture of a man with considerable political abilities. With Machiavellian skills, LBJ coerces, manipulates and persuades politicians to back his plans and policies. However, he faces major obstacles, domestically and internationally. Despite the efforts of Martin Luther King (Grantham Coleman) to secure civil rights through peaceable methods, some of his followers become angry and disenchanted, leading to the rise of “Black Power.” In addition, military advisers underestimate the resolve of the Vietnamese, and the Viet Nam conflict continues to escalate, costing more lives and money. Numbers flashed on the screen remind the audience of the rising death toll. As more money goes for defense, more is removed from domestic affairs.
Portraying the president, actor Brian Cox displays his theatrical versatility portraying LBJ’s political savvy and talents, wooing and convincing his political opponents and supporters. He tells stories of simple rustic folk to make his points. Yet it’s easy to underestimate him and he keeps people off-balance with his farm boy persona. Later as the presidency gets more complicated, he becomes raw and rough, with Cox raising his voice a great deal.
Directed by Bill Rauch and mounted in the Vivian Beaumont theater, the play has a large cast with a lot of familiar faces portraying many notable historical figures. Richard Thomas plays Hubert Humphrey who comes across as naive and idealistic. Many of the other cast members play multiple roles. Robert F. Kennedy (Bryce Pinkham) shrilly goes up against LBJ, moving into position for his own presidential run. Marc Kudisch plays the truculent Mayor Richard J. Daley, mayor of Chicago and David Garrison plays an unctuous Richard Nixon, as well as other smaller parts. Frank Wood is Everett Dirksen, Gordon Clapp is J. Edgar Hoover and Matthew Rauch is Robert McNamara. In all, twenty actors play nearly 50 characters.
Unfortunately, the play endeavors to do too much and there’s constant movement as people continually enter LBJ’s office seeking favors, negotiating, an bargaining; the stream of officials is never-ending. The most emotional scenes are the riots in Watts and Chicago. Generally the pace of the play is fast-moving, yet inexplicably it seems to lag and it’s easy to lose interest.
Even though Cox works hard, and is onstage for much of the play, he doesn’t command our admiration. Perhaps the play focuses too much on the Viet Nam losses and Martin Luther King’s struggle for us to feel for the president. The LBJ who was so compelling in “All The Way” isn’t as sympathetic in “The Great Society.” It’s quite tragic too because LBJ really wanted to make this country great again.
