The Commercial Appeal - Go Memphis
‘All the Way’ unwraps outsize LBJ
President’s forceful personality explored
Lyndon Baines Johnson was one of our most consequential presidents and one whose tragic failures, glorious successes and thoroughly Texas-size personality continue to make him fascinating.
He’s certainly outsize enough to fill a play, as is happening at Playhouse on the Square with its staging of “All the Way,” which has been performed at the American Repertory Theater and on Broadway with Bryan Cranston as Johnson.
The story takes place just after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and looks at the first year of LBJ’S administration, which was shaped by passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the effort to get Johnson elected as president.
Says Stephen Hancock, who is directing: “The arc of the story is LBJ trying to get the civil rights bill passed using his way with people, and Act 2 is about trying to get him elected on his own. That’s on one level, but what the play is really about is the force of Johnson’s personality and how he got things done.”
The show’s title comes from Johnson’s campaign slogan, “All the Way with LBJ.” But usually, Hancock notes, “It was LBJ’S way or the highway. He had an effective manner in getting his way, a man of many personalities and complexities. It’s been a joy discovering those aspects with George here.”
George is George Dudley, who is playing the 36th president and has been studying him carefully since he was cast in the lead role more than a year ago. “I did research, and there’s so much stuff available — written documents, photographs, recordings including phone calls. He’s a fascinating guy, and I hope I can do him justice.”
Dudley says he was so young in the LBJ era that he didn’t have a well-formed view of the Texan. “I had a vague impression that he was different from other politicians,” he says, “so that’s why it was so interesting to do the research and flesh him out.”
The production has a larger-than-usual cast with nearly 20 people, many playing multiple roles. “It’s a who’s-who of Memphis character actors,” Hancock says.
Among them are Dave Landis, Michael Detroit, Delvyn Brown, John Maness, Greg Boller, Irene Crist, Curtis C. Jackson and Claire D. Kolheim. “I had a directing teacher in grad school who said when you work with a certain high caliber of actor, you just make sure they don’t run into the furniture,” Hancock says. “And I’m like, you know what? They know what they’re doing — I just have to make sure they don’t run into the furniture.”
“All The Way” runs Friday through March 26 at Playhouse on the Square, 66 S. Cooper. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $22 opening weekend (March 4-6), $30 Thursdays and Sundays, $35 Fridays and Saturdays. $22 seniors/students/military. $10 children under 18. Info: playhouseonthesquare.org, 901-726-4656.
BUSYWEEKEND
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s Paul and Linnea Bert Classic Accents series (aka the MSO chamber series), has maestro Mei-ann Chen conducting Respighi and Mendelssohn, but the highlight will be “Spring” and “Summer” from Vivaldi’s popular “The Four Seasons.”
The guest violinist is Randall Goosby, who is in his second year at the Juilliard School, where he went after graduating from Arlington High School (class of 2014). The wunderkind has been attracting attention for years, particularly after he won first prize in the Junior Division of the 13th annual Sphinx Competition in Detroit in 2010.
He started playing piano at age 6 and picked up the violin at 7. He must have practiced pretty well since the Stradivari Society of Chicago has, for several years now, loaned him a Giovanni Paolo Maggini violin dated to 1600. The society brings together patrons who own the prohibitively expensive instruments and young performers who can make them sing.
He’ll play that fiddle at the Sunday MSO concert as well as at another gig the day before with the PRIZM Ensemble. The organization performs frequently and has been partnering with schools and community groups.
Goosby and pianist Arthur Hart will perform with the ensemble doing works by de Falla, Achron, Saint Säens, Mozart and Paganini. This performance is a fundraiser to benefit PRIZM’S educational programs.
Memphis Symphony Orchestra with Randall Goosby, conducted by Mei-ann Chen, 2:30 p.m. at the Germantown Performing Arts Center, 1801 Exeter. Tickets: $25, $5 for children. Info: memphissymphony.org or 901-537-2525. PRIZM Ensemble with Randall Goosby, 2 p.m. Saturday at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church, 5530 Shady Grove. (There’s a meet-the-artist Q&A at 1:30 p.m.) Tickets: Give what you can. Info: prizmensemble.com. George Dudley (left) and director Stephen Hancock confer during rehearsals of “All the Way” at Playhouse on the Square. Dudley has been studying Lyndon Baines Johnson carefully since he was cast in the lead role more than a year ago.
LETTICEMEETSLOTTE
New Moon Theatre is staging Peter Shaffer’s “Lettice and Lovage,” a charming and somewhat overlong tale of an endearing (if occasionally wobbly) friendship that is clearly destined to thrive in the worlds of history, architecture, tourism and theatricality.
The bulk of the story features wildly imaginative Lettice Douffet (the extraordinary Sarah Brown) and the utterly different and down-to-earth Lotte Schoen (the extraordinary Anita “Jo” Lenhart), who start as antagonists.
Lettice is a guide at the most boring historical estate in the British empire, so she decided to keep her tour groups awake with a bit of embellishment. Lotte works for Lettice’s employer, the Preservation Trust, which is quite finicky about keeping to the facts in such cases. There is, shall we say, no meeting of the minds, and soon enough, Lettice and all her tall tales are out of business.
But Lotte checks in on Lettice somewhat later, and eventually the two form a bond. Brown and Lenhart are thoroughly delightful to watch individually and then with each other as their winning chemistry evolves.
While the play is very much about the two women and their relationship, there are also good turns by Chelsea Robinson (as a subservient and potentially g w
t T t 2 s
subversive secretary to Lotte) and Jason Spitzer (a gray-ongray lawyer who finds the two women bring considerable color into his proper life).
It’s fun, particularly for those who enjoy Masterpiece Theatre fare and enjoy seeing some great performances. “Catch Me If You Can”: Mystery comedy presented by Playhouse 51. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Fridays-saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through March 13 at Harvell Civic Center, 8077 Wilkinsville Road, Millington. 901-872-7170. playhouse51.com “Free Man of Color”: Drama. 7:30 p.m. ThursdaysFridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays, through April 3 at Hattiloo Theatre, 37 S. Cooper. Tickets: $18, $22, $26. 901-525-0009. hattiloo. org LOCAL, Dancing Through Time ... Places in Memphis: Company d, a dance company of young adults with Down syndrome, under the artistic direction of Darlene Winters. 7 p.m. Friday in Wiener Theatre at Hutchison School, 1740 Ridgeway. Tickets: $15 at the door. 901-289-2739. facebook.com/ companyddancers