New show highlights LBJ’s ‘Great Society’

By Shari Goldstein Stern

Brandon Potter’s convincing portrayal of Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) in Dallas Theater Center’s (DTC) current production of “The Great Society” is reminiscent of his abrasive, in-your-face performance as LBJ in DTC’s “All the Way” in 2014.

Pulitzer Prize-winning, Texas native, University of Texas alum and playwright Robert Schenkkan, who wrote the Tony Award-winning play “All the Way,” also penned “The Great Society,” set during the escalation of the Vietnam War.

In sharp contrast to today’s dysfunctional White House, in which top leadership purports to be a genius dealmaker with a high IQ, a few of Johnson’s noteworthy deals while in office were the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare and Medicaid, Head Start, food stamps, immigration reform and the Public Broadcasting System.

While the chaotic drama plays out in today’s D.C., patrons can at least rest assured the White House has had other moments of dysfunction and somehow weathered the storm, albeit getting wet over time and attracting mildew.

With credit to Broken Chord’s original music and sound design, and Aaron Meicht as associate sound designer, the pre-recorded score plays continuously, setting up a befitting, sullen aura. While subtle, the music is also haunting. Innovative lighting design by Clifton Taylor and projection design by Ian McClain support the bitter atmosphere.

The crisp set, created by Tony Award-winning Beowulf Boritt with its believably marble, white majestic columns creates the feeling of a stately oval office. Effectively, characters awaiting their entrances amidst the columns is an interesting way to surround the President.

Staging of marches, protests and a backdrop of Arlington Cemetery isn’t only brilliant, but may trigger a deep, visceral reaction. Shawn Hamilton is engaging as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as is Jay Sullivan as Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Costume Designer Jen Caprio’s attention to detail in battle fatigues isn’t lost.

Dialect Coach Pamela Prather had her work cut out for her, and she succeeded. All the dialects work, although Jay Sullivan’s speeches as Bostonian Bobby Kennedy might have been a little over-the-top Boston. On occasion Potter’s Texas drawl became difficult to understand while he was spewing anger.

Of course, the requisite foul language is there. It’s the deplorable, repeated use of the word “Nigger” that, while certainly accurate for the period, is nonetheless disturbing. An African American patron commented that the word’s use didn’t bother him because it’s history. “If the term was used in a current, 2018 show, I might be offended,” he said.

Directed with his usual finesse by DTC’s Kevin Moriarty, who accepted the 2017 Tony Award for best regional theater, the talented cast includes Tyrese Allen, Ace Anderson, James Black, David Coffee, Shawn Hamilton, Chris Hutchison, Chris Hury, Tiana Kaye Johnson, David Matranga, Dean Nolen, Brandon Potter, David Rainey, Lindsay Ryan, Santry Rush, Leah Spillman, Jay Sullivan, Todd Waite and Ryan Woods. “The Great Society” will run through April 1 at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, 2400 Flora St. in Dallas.

For information and to order tickets, visit DallasTheaterCenter.org or call the box office at 214-880-0202.

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