LBJ: The Play: The Post-Show Conversation
from Staffer Blake Bolan
with photos by Jose Miranda
So much of the delight of LBJ: The Play is the madcap pacing and the constant surprises: when the bell rang in Ms. Davis’s classroom, we did not and could not have anticipated the non-stop riot that we were about to enjoy. To that end, because as of writing there are still 16 performances left of LBJ: The Play, I don’t want to spoil the fun by telling you too much. With this under consideration, what I will share is my conversation with my partner Ash from after the show. As with all juicy political documents — please enjoy a heavily redacted transcript of the conversation we enjoyed post-show.
Edited for clarity and length.
B: Alright, I want all your thoughts.
A: Every single one of my thoughts?
B: I mean, obviously we loved it because we bought a shirt -
A: Yeah, I’d say we loved it. I mean, I didn’t know what to expect going into it, you know, ‘cause the premise is just - this dude thinks he is this president, he’s here to do a class. I really liked that we were the children, I thought that was very fun.
B: It gave the tension that we needed, for it to be that ridiculous.
A: Exactly. The audience participation was very fun.
B: Also, they picked bangers. They couldn’t have picked better people, honestly. It felt like a 90 minute Simpsons episode to me.
A: OH MY GOD, that’s the exact perfect way to put it.
B: I had already had that thought, and then there was a slide that had the Simpsons, like, they know. That was the kind of humor that it was, except, like, raunchier. It just felt like the way that they were, the physical comedy of it, and also, the way that they were poking fun at everyone, felt like the Simpsons. Classic, really good Simpsons.
A: The part that really sells that for me is just how elastic that [REDACTED] was. He stretched that thing a solid four feet when he was smacking—
B: Wherever they found that particular thing is incredible, I need to know more. I’m reticent to make note of that in any kind of writing or review, because it’s such a good surprise.
A: It is such a good surprise, the fact that it [REDACTED], I think is—
B: I wouldn’t want someone to tell me ahead of time—
A: It was superb.
B: I also LOVED the first time early on that he took his hat off and we got to see the, like, device for the [REDACTED].
A: I’m pretty sure it was [REDACTED] that they took the [REDACTED] off of and put [REDACTED] on for the [REDACTED], and then two enormous [REDACTED] which is what really did it for me.
B: Yeah.
A: I didn’t look at the cast, so I had no idea there were going to be more people - I thought this was a two-man show and then it became a four-man show, and I was actually so obsessed with those two.
B: Oh my god, they were amazing.
A: In such a small cast, you rarely get the two kinds of dumb sidekicks that work really well but they’re not just there to be dumb sidekicks, they’re characters. I thought they foiled really well.
B: And they played, in my experience, they played these classic kind of character actors—
A: The character shoes!
B: The character shoes, the character dress, the way they styled them was right but also the way that they acted was right, that they were like - oh, I could see these two, especially the woman, doing children’s theater in Minnesota.
A: I can see in my head, the Craigslist ad that both of these people responded to, to be a part of this. Both great singers as well. And he’s so fuzzy!
B: So fuzzy! A classically hot man who can play [REDACTED]. They did a good job, it makes sense that the teacher got all swoony for him.
A: One of the things that I think is really interesting with that, too - I did not expect to get hit in the transmasc feels at the end of it. Because I know my people, absolutely clocked, oh yes this is a trans performer—
B: For sure!
A: But I did not anticipate that becoming a part of the play, so suddenly, I’m doing 70 minutes of the funniest physical comedy, and they just really let that moment of [REDACTED] sit in a way, I didn’t expect it.
B: Yeah, because nothing in that madcap of a comedy, you don’t let anything sit that long. Oh my god, there’s Slam Frank!
[Brief tangent in which B tells A the lore of Slam Frank.]
A: But, back to the show – those were some real Texas-kid photos.
B: On a [REDACTED], in a [REDACTED].
A: I think there’s something really interesting about the idea of a trans guy from Texas emulating this Texas political figure. Yeah he did all this stuff and there’s also Vietnam, you know, at the end of the day, who the fuck was this guy? Your idea of masculinity is what you see, so you know, growing up in Texas, maybe it was — here’s Texas’s fuckin’ politician.
B: Well, better him than one of the Bushes. I’m now fascinated by the idea that this guy with this understanding the game and the dirty politics, getting a bunch of really important shit done and then Vietnam fucked his legacy in the end. Cause none of us know any of that shit about him. I feel like it was, while it didn’t have to be, it was deeply educational.
A: It was! I did in fact learn a lot! Now I know [REDACTED] grows real slow! Also, the inferiority complex of him versus JFK is really interesting if you apply it to the transgender narrative.
B: Uh-huh.
A: Because they got this hot, fit, fuzzy, cis actor — man, man, man, man.
B: I guess all that hair has a really masculine quality.
A: Fit, man, furry. There’s also that contrast between the two of those which I think is fun.
B: Yeah I think also you’d think it would land on, “but he’s a [REDACTED],” that that would be the crux, when really it wasn’t at all, it was really who are you if you let this fall away from you. Who are you and why are you doing this?
A: It’s the story of the President, but the SHOW is about (unintelligible due to emergency sirens). What else?
B: Great set dressing.
A: The set was so fun.
B: And I really like the device of the [REDACTED] writing in the [REDACTED]. That was good.
A: I wish I could have paused reality so I could read what all of those notes were.
B: You’d have had to pause reality, I’d need to stand about 20 feet closer.
A: Oh, and the pull out of [REDACTED] was just, chef’s kiss.
B: Yeah, real. Okay, I’ll stop now.
