Regional Reviews: Florida - West Coast The Great Society Also see Bill's reviews of Joe Turner's Come and Gone and Sister Act
Nicole A. Watson directs a cast of 26, as big as the musicals presented to open each season. Matt DeCaro is the centerpiece of The Great Society as LBJ in his full term as president and full of ideas how to make this country better. Last year a different actor played LBJ and was originally scheduled to repeat; he looked much more like LBJ, physically but Mr. DeCaro's performance is far better. A.K. Murtadha returns as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The role is underdeveloped in All the Way but much more prominent here, and Mr. Murtadha comes off more strongly. Also repeating is Denise Cormier as Lady Bird Johnson and several ensemble roles. She gives a good performance, but this is LBJ's story and few other characters are strongly written. Other fine performances come from Tom Coiner as Vice President Hubert Humphry; David Breitbarth as Governor George Wallace, Richard Nixon and a couple of other characters; Taylar as Sally Childress and Coretta Scott King; Brett Mack as Senator Robert Kennedy; Andrew Malone as Jimmie Lee Jackson; William Dick as J. Edgar Hoover; and Norm Boucher as Mayor Richard J. Daley and several other roles. The entire ensemble cast does this theater proud, especially the many third year students from Asolo Conservatory. Based on the original direction by Bill Rauch, this production is directed by Nicole A. Watson. Ms. Watson draws fine performances, within the limits of the script, from her entire cast. Scenes of physical conflict, such as Alabama troopers confronting Dr. King's freedom marchers, have great dramatic punch. Kudos to Ms. Watson for the this fully realized energy. The scenic design by Steven C. Kemp, based on the original design by Christopher Acebo, shows the physical wreckage as the Johnson presidency begins to unravel due to the Vietnam War. Whole set pieces lie upside down, showing it all coming apart. Sarah Smith's costumes capture the period perfectly (there is nothing in the program to indicate that these were based on a previous incarnation). Lighting design by Paul Miller is excellent and based on the original design by David Weiner. Projections by Shawn Sagady help the audience with time and place, and they enhance the power of the drama enfolding before our eyes. Even if much of this production replicates an earlier one, it is nonetheless a marvel of theatricality, brilliantly executed by the craftsmen and women of Asolo's technical departments. The Great Society is a big sprawling production that very few theaters could take on due to its shear size. Asolo Rep does it extraordinarily well and entertains Sarasota audiences with a historical pageant. Asolo Repertory Theatre presents The Great Society through April 2, 2017, at the Mertz Theatre in the FSU Center. 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida. Box Office 941-351-8000. For more information visit www.asolorep.org. Cast (in order of Appearance): Andrew Malone: Jimmie Lee Jackson/James Bevel/Ensemble Directed by Nicole A Watson, Based on the original production by Bill Rauch Co-produced with Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Bill Rauch, Artistic Director, and Seattle Repertory Theater, Jerry Manning, Artistic Director
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