ReaderRecommended: 'Campaigns, Inc. is a comedy, but given recent historic events, we know that tragic outcomes wait in the wings.' | kerryreid Now running at TimeLineTheatre!
But the awful truth promoted by the two hungry operatives is really the product of what Sinclair called “the Lie Factory.” By taking sentences out of context from Sinclair’s fiction and running them as ads in conservative media outlets like theand William Randolph Hearst’s papers, the two made the upright Sinclair sound like a flaming advocate of free love.
They also used direct-mail hit pieces while creating the one-stop shop of political consultancy as a profession. Add in the American fear of the S-word in politics, and it’s not surprising that Sinclair lost to GOPer Frank Merriam. The strength of Allan’s script lies in its ability to go beyond easy binaries of Sinclair as a sinned-against political innocent and Merriam and the GOP as rapacious monsters. As played by Anish Jethmalani, Sinclair is an obviously decent man, but one more comfortable with the written word than public speaking . And though he’s running as a Dem, he’s reluctant to endorse FDR’s New Deal, even as he seeks the endorsement of the man himself, because, he says, “It’s not good enough.” That proves fatal in the end. Many candidates have found themselves hoist upon the petards of their own purity and their inability to suss out the need for compromise and coalitions to get where they’re going. By contrast, Terry Hamilton’s Merriam is a red-faced blusterer straight out of a Preston Sturges comedy. He wants power for its own sake and isn’t particular about how to get it. However, even though it’s Meredith’s Baxter who comes up with the most effective attacks on Sinclair , Merriam worries that his victory will be seen as riding the skirts of a woman. He demands that Baxter make peace with Whitaker after the two fall out over the latter’s family friendship with Sinclair. Meredith’s nearly palpable rage at her talent and vision being overlooked by men in charge sets the stage for the paradox of women in the GOP who succeed in a man’s world while pushing traditional gender roles. Meantime, Sinclair is trying to enlist the aid of both Roosevelts . He’s also trying to get his old friend Charlie Chaplin to come out for him publicly. But Chaplin—who’s trying to get Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford to back his latest attempt at a talkie,, and also finds Sinclair’s socialism at odds with his own even leftier political stances—balks at first., sometimes to the detriment of the character development. But as a comic guidebook to how propaganda works, and how even the best candidate on paper can be demolished in three dimensions, it’s a peach. Allan has a sharp ear for ironic aphorisms—”They’re not lies. They’re different versions of the truth,” being one pungent example. Bowling, always a dab hand at midcentury pieces, brings the same sensibility and energy to a play that’s obviously paying homage to the films of the era. The ensemble is tight, with moments of gritty poignancy provided by Grandt as a pro-Sinclair waitress. Anthony Churchill’s black-and-white projections and Sydney Lynne’s flexible set bring flash, verve, and a visual reminder of just how fast the tides can change in politics. In the end, it’s an open question as to how good a governor a rigid idealist like Sinclair would have been. But what’s absolutely beyond doubt is that Whitaker and Baxter set the low bar for political dirty tricks that have plagued us ever since.is a comedy, but given recent historic events, we know that tragic outcomes wait in the wings.
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