Prop Theatre, at the Organic Theater Company Greenhouse, Lab Theater.
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As the patriotic optimism of the 80s unravels into the paranoid schisms of the 90s, a visit with ever-upbeat Ronald Reagan might seem a breath of fresh air–until you remember that his divisive, budget-busting economic policies and pandering to the extremist right have a lot to do with the mess we’re in now. In Richard Henzel’s amusing, accurate portrayal, the ex-president remains unfazed by any reality except the one he’s constructed in his head. Rambling through an amalgam of half-truths, fantasies, and lies, Henzel’s Reagan talks about his Illinois boyhood, his early sportscasting career (even then he made things up if reality didn’t suit him), his incredibly varied military career, from riding alongside Custer to liberating the Nazi death camps (who cares if it was all on-screen?), his entry into politics as a carefully prepped speech maker, and his recent reconciliation with rebel daughter Patti. Interspersed among the anecdotes are a few musical numbers, featuring a two-man chorus of surly Secret Service guys.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Jim Alexander Newberry.
