From its premiere in L.A. to a successful off-Broadway run, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground aims to reintroduce our 34th president to American audiences. Written by Richard Hellesen and directed by Peter Ellenstein, this one-man show starring John Rubinstein as the decorated general will be onstage at Ventura’s Rubicon Theatre February 21 through March 10.
The play offers a script stitched together from the president’s actual speeches, letters, and other writings to create a dramatic historical portrayal rooted in Eisenhower’s own words. This show takes place in the early 1960s and covers the day when the New York Times Magazine published an article rating the presidents from best to worst. Eisenhower was horrified to find himself low on the list despite his status as a military hero and respected world leader.
In his characterization of the former president, Rubinstein aims to capture the essence of Eisenhower, his gravity and his thoughtfulness, without direct impersonation. “I lived through his presidency,” Rubinstein says, remembering his “I Like Ike” button from childhood. “Roosevelt was great, and Truman was kind of weird, but he dropped big bombs on Japan, which makes him historically important … but what about Eisenhower? He was perhaps the greatest president in my lifetime.”
Ellenstein says that while Eisenhower’s presidency is sometimes overlooked, he was a considerate, profound leader who was respected even by the people who didn’t agree with him. “He so believed in democracy because he thought it was the most noble political structure to give support to the individual,” Ellenstein says. And while some have asked the question “Why do a play about Eisenhower?” the team of this historical drama is confident in the material. “Nobody asks that after they see the play,” says Ellenstein.
See Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground at the Rubicon through March 10, and “meet” the man who led America from the depths of a world conflict into the “American Dream” of the 1950s. For more information and tickets, see rubicontheatre.org.
