Review: DTC and Alley Co-Production ALL THE WAY Stuns in Dallas and Houston

ALL THE WAY opens with blinking blood-red lights, deafening gunshots, vibrant colors in impressionistic soft-focus. Moments later, you can cut the tension with a knife or the crisp, clear black and white projections. From the start, Director Kevin Moriarty establishes that the Dallas Theater Center and Alley Theatre's stunning co-production of Robert Schenkkan's exhilarating political thriller is no documentary or a biopic. Nor is it any iteration of the lifeless portrayals of history so popular in contemporary society.

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The play begins in 1963 as President Lyndon B. Johnson takes office after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He quickly starts his mission to get civil rights legislation passed. And, as they say, history ensues. By 1964, LBJ has successfully enacted the legislation that legally barred racial segregation of public spaces and employment discrimination based on race, gender, nationality or religion; drastically changed the membership composition of both the Democratic and Republican parties; and, against all odds, won the presidency in a landslide. But to get to this point, he must play every side: democrats and republicans, and black and white. There are many players in this political stage, including George Wallace (Michael Brusasco) and his wife Lurleen Wallace (Brooke Wilson) and cagey, conspiratorial FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Kieran Connolly). The workings of history are more tangled than last year's Christmas lights.

Director Kevin Moriarty's staging untangles each thread for the audience, bringing clarity to the proceedings. As ALL THE WAY is about the inner workings of its characters, the positioning is often set, but he segments the stage dexterously, as if pulling apart the pre-perforated sections of an orange with his bare fingers, and places the actors, props, etc. perfectly. The result is a textured, generously layered, complex and compact stage that takes full advantage of the spatial breadth and depth the theatrical space awards. Costume Designer Jennifer Caprio assists. She dresses Civil Rights Act of 1964 supporters in blues, anti-desegregation supporters in varying shades of brown to help the audience situate the characters in its minds.

Rather than segregate the black characters or relegate them to the background, Moriarty intersperses these roles throughout. Most notably, the director positions black woman activist Fannie Lou Hamer between LBJ and company during her testimonial scene. She interrupts Johnson's discussion and his agenda. For a moment, Hamer disrupts the racist power balance and freely wields the power she has seized. (President Johnson infamously staged an impromptu televised press conference to prevent Hamer's speech from airing across the country.)

Moriarty's staging is in opposition to the Broadway production of ALL THE WAY, which only brought accolades and awards to Bryan Cranston. (Cranston won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his portrayal.) LBJ is, undeniably, the central figure of the play. But ALL THE WAY also substantially focuses on the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, wherein black Americans chewed the toughest, most grizzled meat of the struggle. It was black American civil rights organizations like the SCLC, NAACP, COFO, and the SNCC that engaged in the slow, tedious, unglamorous, and unsung work that results in societal change. The president risked political ruin, but the grassroots activists risked their lives. For example, the SNCC's 1964 voter registration Freedom Summer quickly turned deadly. Furthermore, this is a play featuring a myriad of civil rights heroes: Rev. Ralph Abernathy, SCLC secretary-treasurer (David Rainey); Stanley Levison, SCLC advisor (Alex Organ); Roy Wilkins, NAACP executive director (Hassan El-Amin); and Bob Moses, COFO co-director (Andrew Carson*). Not to mention Martin Luther King, Jr. (Shawn Hamilton). Staging a production that allows LBJ to be the lone tour de force performance is, to put it mildly, misguided. In contrast, Moriarty allows all of the characters (and their performers) to bask in the sun.

He further avoids a pitfall in another Freedom Summer focused scene-the funeral of Freedom Summer workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. Surprisingly, the director has the black mourners lift their voices in song without resorting to stereotypical representations of black American culture and artistic expression. For an example of this folly, look no further than Steven Spielberg's 1985 film THE COLOR PURPLE. Moriarty's obvious intention is to provide an equal voice to the marginalized characters in ALL THE WAY.

Given the chance, the actors luminesce. Shawn Hamilton (Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and Michelle Elaine* (Coretta Scott King) impress. Elaine captures the dignified calm of the civil rights leader and, further, gives a goosebump worthy performance as SNCC organizer Fannie Lou Hamer. Hamilton mesmerizes as Dr. King. On the strength of his acting skills and talents and, surely, acting preparation, Hamilton is able to communicate the essence of Dr. King as well as achieve an uncanny vocal likeness to the reverend.

Ace Anderson is SNCC organizer Stokely Carmichael, also known as Kwame Turé. Initially, it seems that Anderson will fail to convey Turé's staunchness, swagger, and fierce, innovative intellect. Ever heard the term "black power"? Turé coined it. And Turé's skeptical response to King's brand of non-violence e.g. "redemptive suffering" is philosophical poetry: "[Reverend King] only made one fallacious assumption: In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent has to have a conscience. The United States has none. Has none." But Anderson's intensity builds, unfurling throughout the play to deliver Turé in his full glory.

The production is full of fine performances. Brandon Potter transfers from kiss-ass to asshole within seconds time and time again over the course of the play. The actor also executes Schenkkan's great dramatic dialogues, making sure to add emotional nuance and variety. And Chamblee Ferguson's Sen. Strom Thurmond, D-SC, is almost seductive. He so fits into the character that, odious as Thurmond may be, he is entrancing to watch. (Ferguson also portrays Sen. Hubert Humphrey, D-MN, and an FBI Agent.)

The design team frames these fine performances. Set Designer Beowulf Boritt's icy, austere designs serve as a cool, white counterpoint to LBJ's tempestuousness. This accentuates the blowhard bluster Potter inserts into his performance, thereby increasing the intensity of the performance.

This was especially important early on in the run of the production. Potter took on his role as LBJ shortly before the show opened. Alley Theatre Company member James Black was originally cast in the role, but withdrew from the production due to medical reasons. On a deeper level, the Tony Award-winner's designs mirror Johnson's volcanic personality as well. After all, bluish white flame-the color of much of the set- burns hotter and brighter than its poppy-colored cousin. Boritt, along with Caite Hevner Kemp, is also responsible for the stellar projections mentioned above. Additionally, Lighting Designer Clifton Taylor subtly scores the mood of the piece while the sound design by Broken Chord thrusts the place forward, augmenting the already thrilling pace.

By its end, ALL THE WAY has restored the corroded legacy of America's 36th president and deepened the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his fellow activists. It shows that Johnson--most-known for his bullying, multiple heart attacks, and plunging the country into Vietnam--was and is more than his flaws and failures. It plucks Martin Luther King, Jr. from the clouds and brings him to earth, refusing to shy away from the extramarital affairs that proved him fallible. It admits that King's flesh was sometimes weak, that he was subject to the temptations of us all, and in doing so, proves his moral fortitude in the face of unspeakable oppression and human rights violations is more remarkable than previously imagined. And, with the contributions of the entire production team, it ensures that the looming, influential historical events and figures are the multi-hued flesh and vital vein coursing blood they were meant to be.

*In the Dallas Theater Center staging of ALL THE WAY, actor Sasha Davis replaces Michelle Elaine as Coretta Scott King and actor Timothy Paul Brown replaces Andrew Carson as Bob Moses.

Additional editing by Natalie de la Garza and Alicia King.

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ALL THE WAY continues through April 3. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Dallas Theater Center, 2400 Flora Street. For information, please call 214-880-0202 or visit dallastheatercenter.org/.

Production runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes.

All photos by Karen Almond, courtesy of the Alley Theatre

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