By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
If you ask the average person what Lyndon B. Johnson accomplished during his presidency, few would be able to give you an answer. Ask those same people, about the Civil Rights Act and many would state it was a big accomplishment for the 35th President John F. Kennedy.
Truth is, it was a very big accomplishment for Johnson.
“I was born after the passage,” said Kentwood resident Marissa Baty. “My experience was through history. You heard about JFK and his death and then the vice president [Johnson] became president.
Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Johnson was sworn in as president and spent the next eight months working toward making the Civil Rights Act into law. The current Grand Rapids Civic Theatre production, “All The Way,” explores the trials and tribulations Johnson, commonly referred to as LBJ, experienced as he hurls himself into getting the act passed along with seeking re-election and the recognition he so desperately wants.
“LBJ really made a sacrifice,” said Baty who portrays Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife Coretta Scott King in the production. “The production explores what it took him emotionally and personally to get the Civil Rights Act passed.”
It wasn’t just Johnson who made compromises, but Martin Luther King Jr. who was forced to contend with conservative and militant leaders as Johnson used every trick in the book — cajolery, arm-twisting, and even blackmail — to get his way. The play, written by Robert Schenkkan, raises questions about the morality of power and politics and how far one can go for good intentions.
Baty, who has appeared in other Civic Theatre productions such as “Good People” and “Ragtime,” said she became more familiar with the story of Johnson’s work after seeing the television film “All the Way” — the title taken from Johnson’s 1964 re-election bid — starring Bryan Cranston, who reprised his Broadway role as Johnson and Anthony Mackie as King.
“I think now with everything that is going on, it is really important to understand how the political process works,” Baty said, adding that people need to understand how laws are created and the importance of putting people in office who are able and component to create those laws.
“LBJ and Martin Luther King were not perfect people,” she said. “They came together perfectly for America.”
The story of them coming together for a common good is one worth telling, Baty said, adding that she is thrilled to be part of telling that story and that Civic Theatre was willing to present it.
“All the Way” runs through Jan. 28 at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays; and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $16-$28. For more information, visit www.grct.org.
