Photos by Maria Baranova
For those of us who are American history connoisseurs, we grew up listening to the many accomplishments of former General and 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower. While the historians of today ranked him as one of the best Presidents in American history, imagine to the shock of Ike that back in 1962, he was ranked near the bottom of the list. How did you think he would feel about that?
Well, you will have your chance to explore what the former President was thinking in this brilliant one-man show currently playing at the Olney Theatre Center as actor John Rubinstein steps into the role of a lifetime in Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground.
The dramatic play takes us back to the home of former President of Dwight Eisenhower on an August day in 1962. We see Dwight none too pleased with a recent article from The New York Times as the 75 historians had ranked the 31 presidents, from Washington to the current hotshot John F. Kennedy. Eisenhower was steaming mad to find out that he was ranked 22nd of 31 presidents. The historians summed up their ranking of him as “Great American, Not Great President” but what do they know back then. From that point on, he decided to record his memoirs of life for an upcoming book.
While sitting and listening to the many accomplishments he has achieved in life, I truly felt that I got a Presidential TED talk from the gentleman himself. Growing up I knew many things about Ike, but it was what I never knew that really captured my attention from the play and never let go. Such fact I learned was that George Washington was his personal hero, he appointed Oveta Culp Hobby, the second woman to the President Cabinet (Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, he was an avid reader of ancient history specifically the Greek & Roman empire and he was never interested of holding down the highest office of the land until a certain general was looking at the job in during the 1948 elections.
If there was one actor who truly embodied Eisenhower to damn near perfection, that actor was Tony award winner John Rubinstein. He hit on every emotion that Ike had experienced was recalling his life in the two act play, from the times he talked about his long marriage to his wife Mamie, to taking on the communism scare head off by challenging senator Joe McCarthy, to experiencing great loss from the men who gave the ultimate sacrifice of D-Day, to suffering their personal loss of their first son, Doud, who died of scarlet fever as a young boy. John took Eisenhower’s life from playwright Richard Hellesen’s words and brought out humor, grief and above all, humanity for all to see. Rubinstein did it so brilliantly, it didn’t feel like I was watching a play – it was a Masterclass in acting.
Not only the acting and the script was brilliant, how they told the narrative was superb. The sun porch window in the rear projected archival photos to match the narrative so that it made sure that this play wasn’t just a talking head show. Speaking of the narrative, Ike’s recalling of the war was so moving that for those few moments you were moved and saddened. One part that capture my attention was the time he mentioned that in April 1945, the day that President Franklin Roosevelt died, Ike saw his first concentration camp and he asked his troops to film the experience so he can show his fellow Americans the truth. He was right when he said during the play that “Truth was the bulwark of freedom”.
It was the little nuggets of Eisenhower’s life that made me appreciate the life of a man who decades historians made him one of the best Presidents our country has ever known. This wonderful play shows us that true disciplined leadership can and do exists among the leaders we elect. If I can leave you with two great quotes from the man himself that can apply to today’s times – “Choose the harder right, not the easier wrong” and one of my favorite quotes “Leave something better than when you got there”. Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground has left us with a better perspective of life. This is a must see, get your tickets today!
FINAL GRADE: A+
Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground is now playing at the Olney Theatre Center’s Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab through its extension of October 27th. Run Time: Approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes including one intermission. Ticket prices: $45 – $99 – Tickets can be purchased HERE.
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