I never thought I’d find myself in Yorba Linda, California 21 years ago, much less as a fly on the wall at a former president’s funeral. Yet this weekend I was dropped into that setting in the world premiere of Rick Cleveland’s “Five Presidents” produced by Arizona Theatre Company at the Herberger Theater Center.
The show began with a slow and sentimental medley of patriotic anthems ornamented with a range of broadcast eulogies for the late President Richard Nixon. The words described a controversial legacy of his time in office but highlighted his greatest accomplishments.
Scene: the Nixon library. Ours is the view of an arbitrary room in its great halls awaiting the arrival of current and former heads of state, five presidents of the United States. A secret serviceman secures the area and prepares the room for the leaders of the free world — a few tables and spindly chairs will do.
Finally, the presidents begin to arrive, starting with number 38 — Gerald Ford, Nixon’s reluctant successor. He finds himself in the awkward predicament of having to eulogize the man whose pardoning overshadowed his own term in office. The next four — Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton — come in succession, where they are welcomed into the “club.”
To watch “Five Presidents” was truly an education in state affairs and a window into the lives of the statesmen running the show in America. The dialogue is a vibrant meeting of minds imagined into existence by the brilliant playwright Rick Cleveland, who’s known for popular TV series such as “West Wing,” “Mad Men” and “House of Cards.”
Cleveland’s research of the event and of the presidents’ lives and histories is said to amount to over 200 pages alongside years of careful planning, according to the show program. His inspiration stemmed from his time writing for “West Wing,” and the support he has gathered for his idea has brought history to glorious light.
Cleveland highlights the humanity, arrogance and humility of these men. His writing is a carefully constructed scaffold of one-liners, political opinion, memories and historical documents. His characters are not fiction but rather breathing embodiments of the people and personalities behind the figures.
The abilities of the cast were not unlike impersonation, though they didn’t read as satire. Far from it, the actors played the presidents as human and, in doing so, honored them. Their meticulous study of iconic mannerisms led me to wonder if they hadn’t in fact known these men their entire lives. I found the actors to be a transparent lens through which I was getting to know the presidents of the United States.
Mark Jacoby, who plays President George H.W. Bush, shared in a Q&A following the performance that the actors strive to give a layered performance of these iconic figures to “render (them) common … (free from) lofty policy and above pettiness.”
Not only in manners but in form, the cast was a true-to-life portrayal of the presidents. Each actor embodied the essence of his character as well as the features. Prosthetics, special effects makeup, costume and wig design all went into these vivid portraits.
The play, like so much of political drama, opens a conversation about the current state of politics in America — in particular, partisanship. The actors and Cleveland agree that this particular piece opens up a conversation about a bipartisan view of politics and its place in the past and future.
“I think people have an interest in politics,” Cleveland said in an interview with Katherine Monberg, Arizona Theatre Company’s literary associate, in the show program. “These days, politics seems to be America’s bloodiest sport.”
The world premiere of “Five Presidents” will enjoy a run at the Herberger Theater Center on Second and Monroe streets through Feb. 22. Tickets range from $54 to $77.
Contact the author at Samemccrory@gmail.com. Contact the columnist at mbilker@asu.edu.
