➤ THE GREAT SOCIETY, from p.22
battles with George Wallace as he
moves to expand the scope of his
civil rights agenda, and the escalation
of the war in Vietnam and
the resulting protests — that ultimately
were his undoing.
It’s an epic undertaking, but
unfortunately the result is more a
documentary or a pageant than a
play. It might be a speculative exercise
to explore the inner lives of the
characters, but that would at least
turn the story into a play, however
apocryphal it might be. The surface
presentation of events, with
brief moments of dramatization,
feels cold and distant. That might
be fi ne for a history class, but on
stage it quickly falls fl at.
Cox, who is a fi ne actor, hasn’t
been given much to do and as a
result turns in a largely one-note
performance. His LBJ is angry,
argumentative, and loud for virtually
the entire piece. He turns quiet
only at the very end in a short
scene with his wife, Lady Bird, but
by that time the audience is more
worn out than empathetic. There
are attempts to convey LBJ’s folksy
Marchánt Davis as Stokely Carmichael, Brian Cox as Lyndon B. Johnson, and Bryce Pinkham as Robert
F. Kennedy in Robert Schenkkan’s “The Great Society,” directed by Bill Rauch at the Vivian Beaumont at
Lincoln Center through November 30.
side — with earthy anecdotes as
well as halting condolences to the
families of soldiers who died in
Vietnam — but these moments feel
forced into the script, as if Schenkkan
knew he had to humanize his
protagonist but didn’t quite know
how. We see some of LBJ’s fabled
political prowess as he wangles a
deal for Medicare or trumps Wallace,
and we also spy his blind side
when J. Edgar Hoover tricks him
EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE
into abandoning Martin Luther
King, Jr. These scenes, however,
provide no true insights into the
characters or the issues at stake.
Instead, they simply recount historical
occurrences.
Director Bill Rauch takes a
workmanlike approach, creating
scenes sadly devoid of subtlety. He
has staged the piece in what might
be a combat arena, but the unmistakable
metaphor that politics is
an ongoing battle is undeveloped.
In addition to Cox, the cast is
fi lled with standout actors — Richard
Thomas as Hubert Humphrey,
Bryce Pinkham as Bobby Kennedy,
David Garrison as Wallace, and
Grantham Coleman as King, to
name a few. Unfortunately, the underdeveloped
script reduces them
to two-dimensional fi gures.
This is an ambitious piece, but
ambition can lead to failure. That
can still be dramatic, but in “The
Great Society” it’s never great. It’s
only so-so.
THE MICHAELS | Public Theater,
475 Lafayette St., btwn. E. Fourth
St. & Astor Pl. | Through Dec. 1:
Tue.-Sun. at 7:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun.
at 1:30 p.m. | $60-$89 at publictheater.
org or 212-967-7555 |
Two hrs., no intermission
THE GREAT SOCIETY | Vivian
Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center,
150 W. 65th St. | Through Nov.
30: Tue.-Thu. at 7 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. at 8
p.m.; Wed. at 1 p.m.; Sat. at 2 p.m. |
$59-$159 at telecharge.com or 212-
239-6200 | Two hrs., 40 mins., with
intermission
GayCityNews.com | November 21 - November 27, 2019 23
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