MacBird!
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MacBird!is a 1966satirebyBarbara Garson.It was self-published ('Grassy Knoll Press') as a pamphlet, and the full text appeared in the December, 1966 issue ofRampartsmagazine. It was staged in February, 1967.
The play superimposes theJohn F. Kennedy assassinationonto the plot ofShakespeare'sMacbeth.
Plot
[edit]The play burlesques Shakespeare'sMacbeth,with lines drawn from other plays such asHamlet,andRichard III,withTexasandBostonaccents. The plot follows MacBird from the1960 Democratic National Convention,when he becomes John Ken O'Dunc'sVice President( "Hail, Vice-President thou art!" ), to Ken O'Dunc's assassination, at the urging of Lady MacBird. Robert Ken O'Dunc then defeats MacBird at the1968 convention.
In the play,Kennedybecomes "John Ken O'Dunc",Lyndon Johnsonbecomes "MacBird",Lady Bird Johnsonbecomes "Lady MacBird", etc. As Macbeth assassinates Duncan, so MacBird assassinates Ken O'Dunc. As Macbeth is defeated byMacduff,so MacBird is defeated by Robert Ken O'Dunc (Robert F. Kennedy).
The play also features theThree Witches,in the form of astudentradical, aNation of Islammember, and a working-class union member. The recently deceasedAdlai Stevenson IIwas depicted as 'The Egg of Head' (the term 'egghead' having been coined in the 1950s to describe intellectual supporters of Stevenson).
In a 2006Washington Postinterview, Garson said she was not seriously accusing Johnson of being complicit in the Kennedy assassination:
"People used to ask me then, 'Do you really think Johnson killed Kennedy?'" Garson, when she was 65, recalls. "I never took that seriously. I used to say to people, 'If he did, it's the least of his crimes.' It was not what the play was about. The plot was a given."[1]
Macbird!began as a short satirical sketch by Garson, a recent graduate of theanti-Vietnam war movementatUniversity of California, Berkeley.She developed the piece into a full-length play with help from writer/director Roy Levine.
Productions
[edit]The play, which opened just three years after Kennedy's assassination, was controversial. Some believe that authorities pressured theaters inNew York Cityagainst producing the play.The Village Gatewas the only theater willing to defy this pressure.Macbird!opened there on February 22, 1967, and closed on January 21, 1968, after 386 performances.
Levine, who worked with Garson to develop the sketch to a full-length play, was the original director ofMacbird!His bold theatrical vision marked the production throughout the run; near the end of the previews, however, he was replaced byGerald Freedman.Set design was by Clarke Dunham, costumes were by Jeanne Button, and lights were by Robert Brand.Joel Zwickwas thestage manager.
The original cast included:
- Stacy Keachas MacBird
- Rue McClanahanas Lady MacBird[2]
- Paul Hechtas John Ken O'Dunc
- William Devaneas Robert Ken O'Dunc
- John Pleshetteas Ted Ken O'Dunc
- John Clarkas Earl of Warren
- Cleavon Littleas Witch 2
- David Spielbergas Crony
The original cast recorded a two-disc album of the script on February 6, 1967. The album was released in abox set,along with a copy of the script, on the Evergreen label (Evergreen - EVR 004).
John Clark left the production early to marryLynn Redgrave.Cleavon Littlemade his professional acting debut in the play. The play had a long engagement, with a different cast inLos Angeles,where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 5, 1968 while running for the Democratic presidential nomination.MacBird!was also produced at the Committee Theater inSan Franciscoaround 1968.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Horwitz, Jane (5 September 2006)."She Hopes 'MacBird' Flies in a New Era".The Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved10 July2018.
- ^Martin, Douglas. "Rue McClanahan, Actress and Golden Girl, Dies at 76,"The New York Times,Friday, June 4, 2010.