[NEohioPAL] Rave Review for Thackaberry in BULLY at Actors' Summit

[Neil Thackaberry]

Theater review: ‘Bully’ showcases actor’s talents
January 24, 2012 by Akron Beacon Journal Leave a Comment Filed under: Arts
& Culture, Kerry ClawsonTagged with

Bully: An Adventure With Teddy Roosevelt is a tour de force for actor Neil
Thackaberry, who sweeps the audience along through this historic figure’s
adventures in a one-man show at Actors’ Summit.

>From his opening moments dramatizing one of Roosevelt’s vigorous walking
expeditions, to his enactment of Roosevelt’s twilight years as the former
president dreams of his former military prowess, Thackaberry creates rich
insight into Roosevelt’s dramatic life.

Thackaberry’s booming voice embodies Roosevelt’s renowned boldness and
exuberance. And with the help of a toupee, long mustache and glasses, the
actor creates a believable physical likeness to the robust 26th president
of the United States, who served from 1901 to 1909.

Roosevelt was a rough-and-tumble sort of guy, but he could also quote
Shakespeare and Goethe. He was Harvard-educated, yet he never felt he fit
in with the genteel scholars there.

Jerome Alden’s 1977 script has a heavy share of political stories, but it
rarely gets bogged down. Chief among the political conflicts is Roosevelt’s
description of his failed attempt to wrest the Republican nomination from
incumbent William Howard Taft in 1912.

Much of that action takes place on the campaign trail, with Thackaberry
delivering speeches from a railing that symbolizes a train.

Rory Wohl’s handsome set is dominated by rich wood panels, a leather chair,
desk and large portrait of Roosevelt at center stage, nicely lit by Kevin
Rutan. Wohl researched Roosevelt’s study at his beloved Sagamore Hill home
on Long Island, a National Historic Site, to re-create the gracious space.

In Bully, Thackaberry’s most soul-stirring moment comes when his Roosevelt
describes the death of his young wife, Alice, two days after giving birth
to their daughter. In describing this tragedy on Valentine’s Day 1884,
playwright Jerome Alden used the only words from his diary that day: “The
light has gone out of my life.”

In another high point, Thackaberry personifies a heartbroken Roosevelt who,
dressed in his signature Rough Riders uniform, is turned down by President
Woodrow Wilson to lead the volunteer regiment in World War I. This painful
scene is followed by a flashback to Roosevelt’s glory days in the
Spanish-American War.

One-man shows depicting historical figures are a specialty in Thackaberry’s
repertoire: Over the years he has also portrayed John Brown and Clarence
Darrow.

Roosevelt was a tough guy whose adventures led him from living as a cowboy
in North Dakota to exploring the Brazilian jungle. Yet he was also known to
play hide and seek and have pillow fights in the White House with his four
sons.

Through BULLY, we learn that his contributions to today’s pop culture in
America include the teddy bear, the plush toy created and named after
Roosevelt after it was reported he wouldn’t kill a bear cub during a
hunting trip. Roosevelt, who lived from 1858 to 1919, also left us with the
famous foreign policy slogan “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

At Actors’ Summit, each performance is followed by illuminating talks with
Roosevelt scholar Mark Dawidziak. He stresses in the program notes that
Roosevelt was a study in contradictions: a warmonger and Nobel Peace Prize
winner; a big game hunter yet an avid conservationist.

Alden’s script draws forth these contradictions without hitting audience
members over the head.

Roosevelt’s life was so vivid in his mere 60 years that Bully is full of
satisfyingly dramatic moments. Thanks to Thackaberry, the rich history of a
man who came to be known as one of America’s greatest presidents comes
alive on stage.

Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at             330-996-3527
or kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com.