Photo courtesy of the Repertory Theatre
A mastermind of manipulation who played the politics game as well as anyone, Lyndon B. Johnson was thrust into the presidency in 1963, as the nation mourned the tragic loss of JFK. All the Way takes place during the first 11 months of his administration, as he maneuvered a series of social changes ranging from civil rights to Medicare. This 2014 Tony Award Winner for Best Play will be directed by Steven Woolf, starring Brian Dykstra as Lyndon B. Johnson. All the Way runs at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis from September 9 to October 4.
“I chose to direct this play because the story is fascinating and the historical perspective is compelling," Woolf says. "It charts the course of American history through the mid '60s—a period with cultural changes so profound that we still reference them today.”
Not to mention the specific relevance of the racial tensions at the forefront of the play. “The play is packed with background on the civil rights movement," Dykstra says. "And now, we’re in a time and place where the perception of police in dealing with minorities is not as healthy as it should be—and we’re only a year out from Ferguson. There are certainly some political realities explored in the play that will resonate.”
While many remember Lyndon B. Johnson only by the events of the Vietnam War, the play will focus on the significant social changes he worked tirelessly to enact prior to the war, specifically the Civil Rights Act—remarkable when considering that Johnson was born and raised in Texas.
Johnson was known for his ability to manipulate the various members of his administration to push the legislation he believed in, adopting all necessary tactics, oftentimes bordering on blackmail or extortion. The play calls to question the morality of such power politics, of practicing deceit in order to achieve a worthy goal.
Woolf chose Dykstra to embody Johnson’s larger-than-life personality for his “sharp mind and boundless energy.” In order to tackle such a complex character, Dykstra reached out to his father-in-law, who was a lawyer in a DC firm and worked as an intern in Senator Dodd’s office when Johnson became president. Johnson was close friends with one of the partners in the firm, so Dykstra’s father-in-law had the opportunity to visit the White House and meet him in person a handful of times.
“I’m fortunate enough to have my father-in-law as a first-hand resource,” Dykstra says. “You can find Wikipedia pages on people and read a lot of information, but it’s invaluable to learn directly from someone who knew LBJ.”
The unique challenge for a director working on a biographical play is ensuring that the actors come across not as caricatures or imitations of the original people, but instead portray the essence of these peoples’ realities. The actors must be constantly aware of what comes next in the original series of events, while also acting, in the moment, as if they do not know the outcome of their actions.
Dykstra says, “In historical plays, it’s difficult because there are so many scenes that lead directly into other scenes or phone calls, with seemingly no relation to the previous. Usually plays will have a story arc, but this one is more of an epic—one thing doesn’t necessarily lead emotionally or logically to the next. Something will happen in the play just because that’s how it happened in real life, so it’s hard to keep my brain on what I’m doing and what’s coming up next.”
For those who remember LBJ, Woolf says the experience of watching the play will be exciting and visceral—and especially revealing for those who remember only how the Vietnam War overshadowed the second half of his administration. Audience members will relive key moments in LBJ’s presidency, like the time when he pulled his Beagle by the ears to pose for a picture, sparking an animal rights controversy, and the first moment that he conceptualized the idea for a war in Vietnam.
“And for those in the younger generations,” Dykstra adds, “it’s not just a history lesson, but a real view of the backstage workings of how politics can get done both positively and incredibly negatively.”
All the Way will play at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis from September 9 to October 4. Tickets are available online. For more information, visit repstl.org or call 314-968-4925. The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is located at 130 Edgar Road.
