Ex-Ohio high court judge's play examines power struggle between JFK, Hoover
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Columbus playwright Herb Brown, a former Ohio Supreme Court justice, has always been fascinated by the drama of American politics.
In his new comic drama, Brown explores the relationships among President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Bobby Kennedy and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.
Abbey Theater of Dublin – which last year premiered “The Duchess,” Brown’s play about Ohioan Warren Harding and his wife − will be the first troupe to present Brown’s “The Price of Power,” opening Jan. 13 at the Dublin Recreation Center.
Who has the power?
“It’s all about struggling for power and who has power,” said Brown, 91.
“Kennedy can fire Hoover, but Hoover can destroy Kennedy. Each is trying to survive politically; each knows the other has weapons to destroy their career,” Brown said.
Through the FBI, Hoover learned about Kennedy’s ill health and adulterous affairs, then hidden from the public.
“Everybody has faults, but the only thing Kennedy was selfish about was his love life," said Ralph Scott, who plays the president. "He’d get a migraine every night if he didn’t have sex.”
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How did the Kennedy brothers work together?
To control Hoover, Kennedy persuaded reluctant brother Bobby to become attorney general − Hoover’s boss.
The two-act, two-hour play begins in December 1960, when the president-elect asks Bobby (William Darby IV) to assume the post, and ends Nov. 22, 1963, with Kennedy’s assassination.
“It’s a sensational history lesson, going behind the scenes of how two brothers act. Brown understands how brothers work with each other,” said Scott, who has three brothers and five stepbrothers.
“Bobby was the only person Jack could really trust. They were blood brothers. ... This is a play about brotherly love as much as the struggle for power,” Scott said.
What inspired a play about Kennedy?
Brown has written plays about other presidents, but this is his first about Kennedy, the handsome young Democrat who narrowly beat Richard Nixon in 1960.
“Kennedy has always fascinated me . . . He could express the country’s ideals better than anyone, but his risk-taking and sense of entitlement were beyond belief,” Brown said.
The play weaves Kennedy’s long affair with Judy Campbell (Exner), girlfriend of Chicago gangster Sam Giancana.
“Hoover had that and a ton of stuff on Kennedy,” Brown said. “Kennedy’s afraid of Hoover and would like to fire him, but he doesn’t dare. If he fires him, Hoover has nothing to lose. He could have brought Kennedy down."
Who was the real J. Edgar Hoover?
Jonathan Putnam, who portrayed Richard Nixon in two other Brown productions, plays Hoover.
“It’s fun to play a conniving personality. ... Hoover likes the game of power, the power plays with the Kennedys,” Putnam said.
“He’s also power-hungry, paranoid, a racist, hypocrite and germophobe . . . not a very happy man.”
The play evokes Hoover’s rumored relationship with FBI assistant director Clyde Tolson (Tom Holliday), Hoover’s roommate.
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“The play hints that JFK knows about Hoover’s closeted life with Tolson,” Putnam said.
Overall, he views the central drama as an unending clash of egos.
“Hoover, who had so much dirt on so many, has a different agenda with each of them. With Bobby, his boss, there’s a real antagonism, while JFK is more formidable and Hoover’s match,” Putnam said.
How is JFK brought to life?
Scott was eager to portray Kennedy.
“I want to bring out his charm. He’s my favorite president, able to charm everybody,” Scott said.
The play rings true for Scott, he said, because Brown’s dialogue reflects how politicians talk.
“It’s all about what’s not being said. I’ve never been in a play with so much subtext, full of things they’d like to say but can’t,” Scott said. “The Kennedys and Hoover are trying to get what they want without saying it outright. Kennedy uses charm and reasoning. ... Hoover’s tactics are blackmail."
What links Brown's plays?
Scott previously played Lyndon Johnson in CATCO’s 2015 world premiere of “The Final Table,” Brown’s comedy about five dead presidents playing poker in Purgatory.
“The strengths of Brown’s plays are their dialogue, rising action and historical context, drawn from so much research that’s spot-on,” Scott said.
Brown, for his part, sees a common thread in his political plays.
“What really fascinates me, and the recurring thing, is the personality of people who have the ambition to become president and make it,” Brown said.
“I try to find situations,” he said, “where you get a better understanding of who these people were, with all their strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities.”
@mgrossberg1
At a glance
Abbey Theater of Dublin will present “The Price of Power” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; 7 p.m. Jan. 18-20; 2 and 7 p.m. Jan. 21; and 2 p.m. Jan. 22 at 5600 Post Road, Dublin. Tickets cost $20. (dublinohiousa.gov/abbey-theater)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: John F. Kennedy, J. Edgar Hoover at odds in 'The Price of Power'
