''MacBird!'' is a 1966
satire by
Barbara Garson. It was self-published ('Grassy Knoll Press') as a pamphlet, and the full text appeared in the December, 1966 issue of ''Ramparts'' magazine. It was staged in February, 1967.
The play superimposes the
John F. Kennedy assassination onto the plot of
Shakespeare's ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
''.
Plot
The play burlesques Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'', with lines drawn from other plays such as ''
Hamlet'', and ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
'', with
Texas and
Boston accents. The plot follows MacBird from the
1960 Democratic National Convention
The 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles, California, on July 11–15, 1960. It nominated Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts for president and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas for vice president.
In ...
, when he becomes John Ken O'Dunc's
Vice 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 the
1968 convention.
In the play,
Kennedy
Kennedy may refer to:
People
* John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States
* John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana
* Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...
becomes "John Ken O'Dunc",
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
becomes "MacBird",
Lady Bird Johnson becomes "Lady MacBird", etc. As Macbeth assassinates Duncan, so MacBird assassinates Ken O'Dunc. As Macbeth is defeated by
Macduff, so MacBird is defeated by Robert Ken O'Dunc (
Robert F. Kennedy).
The play also features the
Three Witches, in the form of a
Student
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...
radical, a
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930.
A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...
member, and a working-class union member. The recently deceased
Adlai Stevenson II was depicted as 'The Egg of Head' (the term 'egghead' having been coined in the 1950s to describe intellectual supporters of Stevenson).
In a 2006 ''
Washington Post'' interview, 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."
''Macbird!'' began as a short satirical sketch by Garson, a recent graduate of the
anti-Vietnam war movement at
University of California, Berkeley. She developed the piece into a full-length play with help from writer/director Roy Levine.
Productions
The play, which opened just three years after Kennedy's assassination, was controversial. Some believe that authorities pressured theaters in
New York City against producing the play.
The Village Gate was 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 of ''Macbird!'' His bold theatrical vision marked the production throughout the run, though, near the end of the previews, he was replaced by
Gerald Freedman. Set design was by Clarke Dunham, costumes were by Jeanne Button, and lights were by Robert Brand.
Joel Zwick was the
stage manager
Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including the overseeing of the rehearsal p ...
.
The original cast included:
:
Stacy Keach as MacBird
:
Rue McClanahan as Lady MacBird,
[Martin, Douglas. "Rue McClanahan, Actress and Golden Girl, Dies at 76," ''The New York Times'', Friday, June 4, 2010.](_blank)
/ref>
:Paul Hecht
Paul Hecht (born August 16, 1941) is an English-born Canadian stage, film, and television actor known for playing radio newsman Ross Buckingham in Howard Stern's ''Private Parts''.
Life and career
Born in London, England, Hecht graduated from ...
as John Ken O'Dunc
: William Devane as Robert Ken O'Dunc
: John Pleshette as Ted Ken O'Dunc
:John Clark John Clark may refer to:
Entertainment
*John Clark or Signor Brocolini (1841–1906), Irish-born American operatic singer and actor
* John Clark (actor) (born 1932), English actor and theatre director
*John Clark (American actor) (1933–2011), ...
as Earl of Warren
: Cleavon Little as Witch 2
: David Spielberg as Crony
The original cast recorded a two-disc album of the script on February 6, 1967. The album was released in a box set
A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit.
Music
Artists and bands ...
, along with a copy of the script, on the Evergreen label (Evergreen - EVR 004).
John Clark left the production early to marry Lynn Redgrave. Cleavon Little made his professional acting debut in the play. The play had a long engagement, with a different cast in Los 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 in San Francisco around 1968.
References
{{Macbeth
Plays by Barbara Garson
1967 plays
Political plays
Satirical plays
Plays and musicals based on Macbeth
Plays based on real people
Cultural depictions of John F. Kennedy
Cultural depictions of Lyndon B. Johnson