‘Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground’
It’s August 1962 and 71-year-old Dwight D. Eisenhower (John Rubinstein), former five-star general and recent president of the United States, is in a foul mood. A just-released New York Times Magazine poll of 75 historians has ranked the accomplishments of past presidents and placed him 22nd out of 31. Eisenhower, who’s in the midst of dictating his memoirs, is determined to set the record straight and prove that he deserves far better than the “mediocre” rating he received.
As Eisenhower recalls different moments in his life, one point that he comes back to time and again is the importance of sticking to his convictions, such as the decisions he made concerning the invasion of Europe in World War II and his push for the creation of an interstate highway system in the United States.
A Leader for All
The play also explores the reality that, even when one is president of the United States, there are limits on what a leader can actually make happen. The power to enact change through executive decisions can go only so far, as the president is dependent on Congress to legislate policies or ideas into law. This is something that Eisenhower makes clear in regard to the desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces, which he concluded to his satisfaction, and the enactment of Civil Rights legislation, which he didn’t.It quickly becomes clear that Eisenhower sees himself as a plain-spoken man and one who has little appetite for such labels as “liberal” or “conservative.” His approach was to always stay in the middle of the road. As in driving, if you “steer too far to the left or the right, you end up in a ditch.”
This practical attitude was instilled in Eisenhower during childhood, which is when he also acquired his lifelong sense of duty and responsibility, both moral and fiscal. This understanding of the importance of doing the right thing was also what led to his career in the military and in politics, even though he never really saw either as a calling.
More than just a look at his career, the play also examines important moments in Eisenhower’s personal life, all of which allow the audience to get a better understanding of the man behind the public persona.
Eisenhower had a deep appreciation for history and an even deeper regret for how, as a boy growing up in Kansas at the turn of the 20th century, he never took the time to listen to the stories of veterans from the Civil War.
Also explored is Eisenhower’s relationship with his wife, Mamie, (“I couldn’t have done any of what I did without her”) and the profound impact that his parents, especially his mother, had on him.
Performance in History
Mr. Rubinstein gives a good performance as Eisenhower. He portrays the man as someone happy at his time in life yet at the same time looking back with a mixture of pride and sadness on past decisions that he has made. He shows Eisenhower as plagued by self-doubts about how he'll be remembered after he’s gone. The answer to that question was ultimately revealed via the results of subsequent presidential rankings by historians, as shown at the end of the play.Peter Ellenstein’s direction is tightly focused, allowing the story to unfold without haste or urgency. Michael Deegan’s scenic design for the Eisenhower farm, one of several references to a “Piece of Ground,” offers a nice combination of function and hominess. Projection design by Joe Huppert is strong throughout.
“Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground” presents an intriguing portrait of a man who had to make some far-reaching decisions—many of which are still felt today—when it came to events in the United States and the world.
The show also succeeds in making one want to learn more about Eisenhower; I overheard a person who was in the row in front of me mention this during intermission.
