Although I was a young child when Dwight Eisenhower was President of the United States, I remember him rather well. I can visualize him. And I have seen the fine actor, Tony Lawton in at least a dozen plays over the years. Could he portray the 34th president and make me believe him? Yes, and yes again!
It is 1962, two years after Eisenhower has departed from the oval office. When he left the presidency at the age of 70, he had been the oldest president in the 170 years of that office. He read an article in the New York Times where 25 historians ranked the presidents and called him mediocre, placing many insignificant presidents above him. He is furious as he talks to the editor of the memoir he is working on. What follows is 90 plus minutes of recollections of his life as he records them on tape.
We get to know so much about the man, from his childhood to his years at West Point, to his marriage and the death of his little son, to his promotions and the D-Day invasion. We see how he made the decision to run for President as a Republican to stop isolationist Robert Taft, even though Eisenhower was courted by the Democrats four years earlier. We watch as he relates what he did or tried to do when he was President, his views on race, his dealing with Joe McCarthy.
As much substance as there is in this piece, it’s more about the feelings he experienced rather than just the political or military acts themselves. After all, he feels rejected. And he reflects on what his accomplishments were and even what he did NOT do though pushed by other Republicans. He believed in social security and a minimum wage. He sent Federal troops to Little Rock to escort a Black girl into school. He is responsible for the construction of the interstate highway system. It’s mind boggling how much is packed into this one man show, written by Richard Hellesen!
Lawton is outstanding in relating what were probably the feelings of this 72-year-old icon. I say probably since the play was constructed with the information garnered from Eisenhower’s memoirs, speeches, and letters. But it is a fictional portrait of a man. How did he feel about sending soldiers off to their deaths? From this narrative, very much.
How great was he? That is for posterity to decide. It is most interesting to see how Eisenhower rose in greatness in the eyes of historians over the next decades after he died. There is much to learn from this most informative show which is accompanied by projected photos on the back wall of the people and times he is talking about. I learned a lot of history as well as a lot about Eisenhower’s personal life. He wanted to be a baseball player. He wanted to go to the Naval Academy. So much fascinating stuff! A learning experience for the young who did not know “Ike,” it is certain to absorb anyone who did.
“Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground,” by Richard Hellesen at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Avenue., Ambler, PA 19002, 215-654-0200, act2.org thru September 13, 2026
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 