“They want me to sit down and shut my mouth. But I never did do that very well.” -quote attributed to Teddy Roosevelt
CINCINNATI, Ohio — When I interviewed Phil Johnson about his solo show in San Diego, A Jewish Joke, he mentioned that he had another project in the works about one of his heroes, Teddy Roosevelt.
Written by Marni Freedman and Phil Johnson, under the deft direction of Rosina Reynolds, Roosevelt: Charge the Bear is that show. While our playhouses are still closed, this is one that translates well to film and the Roustabouts have made it available for livestreaming.
It is 1901 and Teddy Roosevelt is just six months into his administration. Our 26th POTUS was never supposed to sit in the Oval Office. He was the “crazed cowboy,” an unpredictable loose cannon with “too much of a mouth.” The Republican party made him McKinley’s VP in order to shut him up by giving him as little responsibility as possible. But an anarchist with a gun turned the page of history when he assassinated McKinley.
Teddy Roosevelt was the first to institute the White House Press Room with regular briefings. He valued the press for their ability to keep him honest, asking for honesty in return. And he knew that they were his best medium for bringing his message directly to the people.
In those days, America ran on coal. Factories, trains, boats, ferries and the heating of homes all relied on this black ore. Conditions were grueling and often unsafe with boys as young as seven working long hours wielding hammers and coughing up black dust. A massive, nation-wide workers’ strike would bring industry to a halt and cause many to freeze to death during a hard winter.
Of course, the fat cats who owned the mining business weren’t keen on negotiating. Higher wages and safer conditions would cut into their profits. The plight of the workers was not a heartstring they wanted pulled. To men like JP Morgan, who had donated mightily to the Republican Party, Roosevelt worked for him. So, they expected the President to mobilize the troops on their behalf and quell the rabble.
Phil Johnson goes back and forth between a public figure addressing crowds to private asides from a man confiding his fears. He takes an iconic figure from the stony heights of Mount Rushmore and makes him a mensh, breathing life into a very real, vulnerable human being.
As our nation again faces great upheaval with high unemployment and families struggling to make the rent with low wages and mounting debt. As fat cats grow fatter yet pay very little taxes. As people march for justice and troops are mobilized, there’s comfort in knowing that we’ve been here before. It will take a steady hand at the rudder to right our ship of state. The question is, when will we have true leadership again?
Roosevelt: Charge the Bear, is available for livestream, Oct 10 through Nov 2, 2020. Visit https://www.theroustabouts.org/roosevelt
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Eric George Tauber, formerly of San Diego and now of Cincinnati, is a freelance writer who keeps up remotely with the San Diego theatre scene.