Review: RFK: A PORTRAIT OF ROBERT F. KENNEDY Campaigns at Main Street Theater

RFK: A PORTRAIT OF ROBERT F. KENNEDY could not come at a more appropriate time. It is running in repertory with RED HOT PATRIOT: THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS, and it represents a timely, politically charged one-two punch from Main Street Theater. RFK is about trying to have hope when hope is gone, surrounded by a cultural climate that seems impossible to change for the better. A war in Vietnam, gun violence out of control, racism erupting in riots, and lack of healthcare are all subjects Robert F. Kennedy addressed in his career after losing his big brother John F. Kennedy in the decade's most heartbreaking assassination. His message is alive and well today as we witness how far ahead to the future he saw and how little distance we have come. It shows the audience a time when a political family dynasty seemed certain for the Kennedy clan, but was brutally cut short as it crested in the brightest of futures.

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The show is a one-man tour de force that stars Joel Sandel as Robert F. Kennedy, an actor who certainly is up for the challenge. He has the voice down even if he is not a dead ringer physically for Bobby. Most importantly, he has the spirited passion of JFK's little brother, and that is what makes the play come to life so vibrantly. Sandel carries the audience with a charm and grace that he shares with the icon he is portraying. He is skilled enough to hold a theatrical house on his own for two hours, and that is no small feat. He layers in waves of intensity, but never goes over the top into melodrama. His RFK feels real and palpable, as if he was indeed resurrected for a couple of hours. It is one of the smartest performances you will see this year in Houston theatre.

The script by Jack Holmes picks up right after the presidential assassination of 1963 and carries the viewers through Robert's career until his own murder in 1968. We see him leave his post as attorney general, get bypassed for vice president, become a senator, and ultimately run for the highest office of the United States government. All along the way he narrates his life, both professional and personal, and the result is a fascinating portrait of a man fighting for hope even when his own is wavering.

Main Street Theater's Rice Village space is intimate and the perfect setting for these types of theatrical events. The tech stands out as well executed with films and photos shown on a large screen upstage center to illustrate the important players in RFK's life. Music choices from Shawn W. St. John bring the audience into the world of Jimi Hendrix's electric protest rock which was so vital to the era. If there's any gripe it could be in the strangely sparse set, which is necessary to fit both shows on this bill. Sometimes the sense of place seems a bit too generic to be the Camelot of Kennedy lore, but sound and lights by J. Mitchell Cronin make up for that well enough.

If you're wrestling with the current election, or wondering how we have gotten to this point in America's history, this is a powerful, informed piece. It incorporates the civil rights movement at the time when Martin Luther King was taken from his mission and asks hard questions about what all of that meant back in 1968. The play also makes you think about gun violence as you grasp the horror of three assassinations that took champions away all too soon in America. There is also the theme of a family taking over U.S. politics, but not quite getting to fulfill their legacy as their sons get violently removed from them. RFK: A PORTRAIT OF ROBERT F. KENNEDY plays as a Greek tragedy where nobody gets out of the dream alive. In a season when it seems hard to believe any politician is speaking truth, it is amazing to honor one that dealt facts and passion in equal doses. It just might make audiences appreciate America again.

RFK: A PORTRAIT OF ROBERT F. KENNEDY runs in repertory with RED HOT PATRIOT: THE KICK-ASS WIT OF MOLLY IVINS through August 14th at Main Street Theater's Rice Village performing space. Tickets can be reserved through the website at http://www.mainstreettheater.com/ or by calling the box office at 713-524-6706.

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