Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MA
through June 8, 2025
by Jarice Hanson
Watching actor John Rubinstein on stage is like observing a master class in acting. In the solo show, "Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground," written by Richard Hellesen and produced and directed by Peter Ellenstein, Rubinstein brings the life of the 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower into focus. He does not impersonate Eisenhower, but fully portrays the former President’s irascible tendencies, depth, and moral conviction.
The play is set in 1962. John F. Kennedy is the President at the time, and “Eisenhower” minces no words about his feelings toward JFK. He says: “I didn’t particularly like him, but I respected him.”
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| Photo by Maria Baranova |
Through clever projections designed by Joe Huppert, the audience observes Eisenhower’s childhood and family in rural Kansas, through his education at West Point, to his work as an aide to General Omar Bradley in WWII and Korea, his time as a University President, and eventually to the Presidency.
The setting is the retired President’s home in Virginia, where he hints at what family life is like, and his deep love for his wife, Mamie. When Rubinstein engages in a phone call with Mamie, his voice softens ever-so-gently, and his face becomes that of a man who truly understands the sacrifices of a military wife.
It is the portrayal of Eisenhower that leaves the strongest impression. Rubinstein is a joy to watch as he personifies this man struggling with what he hopes to include in a book. He is not happy with the description of being ranked in the lower quarter of the list of public ratings of presidents, but the plot device gives him an excellent reason to reflect on his past, including what he thinks was one of his own personal failings, which forms one of his deep regrets.
The script offers many pithy contrasts with post-Eisenhower cultural references and political characters, but it never betrays Eisenhower’s own commitment to honor and serving the people of the country. The real Eisenhower may have had his weaknesses and faults, but his integrity never wavered, and the life of a good, honest man who believed that it was better to do “the harder right, rather than the easier wrong” is an important historical note.
This is a story that deserves to be told, and thanks to the charismatic John Rubinstein, Eisenhower, the man, emerges as a complex, real human being.