(all photos by Pierre Lumiere)
“I Like Ike” appeared on a political campaign button in 1952 as the decorated general and political neophyte Dwight D. Eisenhower ran for the office of President of the United States as the Republican candidate. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for the Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson, most of America really did like Ike. He won 39 of the then 48 states. Ike did even better in the 1956 rematch, taking 41 states while Stevenson only won 7, which were all in the deep South, then a Democratic stronghold. The box office attendant was wearing a facsimile button and they are being offered for sale at the Theatre West as the theatre, along with New LA Repertory Company, are presenting the World Premiere of Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground.
It’s a brisk two-hour tour of the life, family and career of the 34th President of the USA, directed by Peter Ellenstein. Playwright Richard Hellesen has set his play on a rainy day in August 1962 on the Gettysburg farm Eisenhower and his devoted wife Mamie retired to after eight years in the White House. Ike has been encouraged to write another memoir, this time about his time in the Oval Office. He doesn’t feel he has that much to say that is new about politics, but a magazine poll of sixty-some historians has left him fuming. They said he was a great American but a not-so-great President, citing him as mediocre and inept, ranking him 22nd out of 31. Behind Chester Arthur and Rutherford Hayes. He decides he needs to defend his record and accomplishments and begins to dictate his thoughts to the omnipresent tape recorder.
It is the nature of the beast, this type of one-person show about a political figure, that hits the highlights along with a few lowlights of their life. Give ‘em Hell, Harry! and Golda’s Balcony come to mind. The concept works as an introductory lesson for audience members not familiar with the subject as well as an “Ah, yes, I remember it well” refresher course for those who remember their history classes or those old enough to have lived through the same years as the subject.
Ike describes his presidency as one of moderation. His goal was to balance the budget, which he did three out of eight years, and to keep us out of another war after extricating the US from Korea. He is proud of John Glenn’s space travel since he authorized the formation of NASA as well as the building of the interstate highway system. He felt he could have done more for civil rights, but he puts the blame on Lyndon Johnson and other Southern Democrats from blocking his plans. He’s both proud and ashamed that he had to order US troops onto the streets of Little Rock so that Negro children could get the education to which they were entitled. He is also proud of the fact that the US went from 48 to 50 states during his years in office.
Hellesen has done a good job of showing how Eisenhower confronted issues in the 1950s that are still plaguing us in today’s politics. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. He only ran for President to block the isolationist policies of Senator Robert Taft. He dealt with a demagogue in the form of Senator Joe McCarthy who spouted hate and innuendo and created a cult like culture that demanded loyalty to a man, not an idea or a party. It’s subtle and hits the mark without naming names or getting didactic.
As Eisenhower, John Rubinstein commands the stage from his opening appearance to his final exit. He gives a rich texture to the man’s beliefs, his family ties and to his dedication in serving his country, both in war and in peace. His anger comes quick but also tempers itself into a strong will to change minds. He also gives Ike a gentle and sly humor, adding a bit of needed laughter to the proceedings. Pierre Vuilleumier designed the well-appointed set and Joe Huppert’s projections fill in the necessary visual reminders of a life well lived. Oh, that first poll of historians was conducted just a year and a half after Eisenhower left office. He was ranked 22 then. Today he is ranked number 5 all time.
www.onstage411.com/eisenhower