43 Plays for 43 Presidents
Less than a month before Americans cast their ballots to determine who will become the 44th president of the United States, Sacred Fools Theater Company offers a highly animated and imaginative look back at the political landscape of American history with "43 Plays for 43 Presidents."
"What better way to prepare for the future than by taking a look at the past?" asks director Paul Plunkett, who describes himself as a "history geek."
Interspersed with musical interludes and pantomimes, the series of skits (none longer than two minutes) range from the sardonic to the serious. Alongside distinctive personality traits of each commander-in-chief, the plays highlight moments of historical prominence (such as the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor) and tidbits of trivia (William Henry Harrison served only 32 days in office before succumbing to pneumonia and Woodrow Wilson established Daylight Savings Time to save fuel.)
In the midst of the irreverent biographical bits, the performers pause to reflect on the narratives that we weave together to create our national history. The cold recitation of facts isn’t what matters -- it's how the stories get told that counts.
Originally produced in 2002 by Chicago's Neo-Futurists Company, "43 Plays for 43 Presidents" was written by Andrew Bayiates, Sean Benjamin, Genevra Gallo, Chloe Johnston, and Karen Weinberg.
In the Sacred Fools production, which runs through October 26, props and costumes are used to maximum effect as the show moves swiftly from one sketch to the next. With the presidential seal prominently displayed on the floor and white columns flanking the stage, words and images projected on two screens guide the audience through a chronology of land grabbing, scandals, war, and economic woes. Nearly overshadowed by the brutal ambition and bold corruption are the humble leadership of George Washington and the communal solidarity expressed in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal.
Under Plunkett's energetic direction, all six performers adeptly take on multiple roles. Particularly comical moments include Michael Holmes' happy-go-lucky first-term Grover Cleveland, who leads fellow cast members in a bebopping dance number ("In the Cleveland White House, it's always a Democratic Party") and Rafeal Clements’ Ulysses Grant, a rifle-toting fighter with a fondness for drink who achieves rock-star status after victoriously leading the Union Army in the Civil War. Scott Leggett doubles effectively as the fawning Martin Van Buren, portrayed as Andrew Jackson's “bitch," and the relentlessly Silent Calvin Coolidge.
Other slyly humorous sketches involve the entire cast singing "We love Dick" in a cheerfully revisionist portrait of Richard Nixon and a trio adorned with scarves dancing to Middle Eastern music as George H.W. Bush (No. 41) totes a stuffed toy of Saddam Hussein in commemoration of the Persian Gulf War.
Amidst all the comedy are darker moments. Sharp contrasts emerge between the portrayals of Andrew Johnson (Kelley Hazen), who contemplates the political turmoil of the Reconstruction era as he paces around a flickering candle, and George W. Bush (Tina Van Berckelaer), who seems gleefully unperturbed by such disturbances as the war in Iraq, torture, Katrina, and the current financial crisis. Particularly impressive is the staging of Abraham Lincoln's episode. Toy blocks, each one representing a northern or southern state, topple from a scale as Lincoln (played with somber dignity by Constance Ejuma) takes up the mantle of wartime president. Voices call out the names of the battles that shed the blood of 200,000 during the Civil War.
Although some knowledge of the more obscure presidents would make the material more accessible, "43 Plays for 43 Presidents" offers an entertaining and educational glimpse of the men at the helm of American history.
The show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with an additional performance on Sunday, October 26 at 7 p.m. at the Sacred Fools Theater, 660 N. Heliotrope Ave., Hollywood, (310) 281-8337, www.sacredfools.org.