Gore Vidal's The Best Man at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater
One’s first thought upon the end of the first scene of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, playing through July 1st at the Schoenfeld
Theater, is the wish for a presidential
candidate like Secretary of State William Russell (the absolutely brilliant
John Larroquette). Russell is
intellectual, open-minded, cares about policy first, and gives off the
impression of being an all-around good guy.
But perceptions are warped and everything changes throughout our journey
through the worlds of the candidates and Vidal’s brilliant expose of American
politics.
Russell, a
capable Secretary of State under former president Art Hockstader (James Earl
Jones), is cautious yet astute, and, with the help of the superior script,
comes off just as smart as Gore Vidal himself.
His opponent, Senator Joseph Cantwell (Eric McCormack), is a classic
politician: evasive, smooth, and with just a hint of a Midwestern accent. Both crave Hockstader’s endorsement at the
national convention at which the play takes place, and each has a line of dirt
on the other (both of which may or may not be true) so inflammatory that
mutually assured destruction seems imminent.
But aside
from Best Man’s captivating plot, it
also boasts a script chock-full of beautiful use of the English language coming
to us courtesy of its brilliant playwright, a co-writer of the 1959 film version of Ben-Hur. As the candidates
slowly destroy each other, and, eventually, themselves, the audience is drawn
in by deep and real interest, and the viewer develops stakes in the happenings
and intricate twists and turns of the storyline, until it eventually comes to
its deeply satisfying conclusion.
The play is
delivered by what can only be described as a veritable pantheon of a cast. Besides giants Jones and Larroquette, and
Will and Grace star McCormack, Candice Bergen plays Russell’s estranged wife,
Alice, who agrees to pose as a devoted wife to help him get elected. Michael McKean appears as Russell’s campaign
manager, Dick Jensen, so desperate for his man to win his party’s nomination
that he digs up an nearly blasphemous accusation of Cantwell. And—for who could not mention her?—Angela
Lansbury, in a laudable and exquisite performance, is the Southern belle Chairman of the Women’s Division of the party.
(What party it is exactly is never explicitly stated, and Russell and
Cantwell are on such opposite sides of the aisle that it’s difficult to tell.) These godlike thespians bounce off each other
with such perfection that sparks seem to fly, and the stage becomes their own,
corrupt world wherein nothing is off limits when the presidency is on the
line. Perhaps this isn’t so different
from our own world, but what is changed is human interaction. That, perfect fodder for a political satirist
like Vidal, is transformed into something infinitely more entertaining than our
own conversations. Even if Gore Vidal,
in his infinite wisdom, had left the intrigue out of the play, I for one would
be satisfied only to watch the characters converse over copious amounts of
alcohol in their hotel rooms. But the
intrigue’s still there along with the conversation, and most theatergoers,
myself included, could do with a bit of both.
All in all,
The Best Man does not
disappoint. With Tony nominations both
for Best Revival of a Play and Best Leading Actor in a Play for James Earl
Jones, patrons of the arts in New York will no doubt run, not walk, for seats
to this masterpiece of modern theater.
If you’re interested in an evening you won’t soon forget, I’d suggest
you do the same.
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