THE MINUTE THAT CHANGED
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING FOREVER
On September 7, 1964, a 60-second TV ad transformed American politics. Known as “Daisy Girl,” it featured a young girl counting daisy petals, followed by a countdown and a nuclear explosion. The ad became iconic for its emotional, innovative approach to negative political advertising. It’s even better known for pioneering visceral, fear-based political messaging. Canadian playwright Sean Devine’s Daisy offers a somewhat sinister yet enlightening perspective on 1960s American politics, focusing on Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential reelection campaign after succeeding John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.
George Psarras (photo by Tracy Martin)
As the play opens, Johnson is the Democratic candidate, but it’s uncertain whether Nelson Rockefeller or Barry Goldwater will be the Republican candidate. A scandal involving Rockefeller made him decide to drop out, leaving Goldwater as the likely Republican nominee. That’s when Johnson sends White House Deputy Special Council Clifford Lewis (top-notch Terrance Austin Smith) to meet with the head of the prestigious New York advertising agency, Doyle Dane Bernbach.
Terrance Austin Smith, Roneet Aliza Rahamim,
Keenan Murphy Flagg and George Psarras (photo by Mark Kitao)
Bill Bernbach (a commanding Glenn Havlan) meets with some of his top staff to tell them he wants them to handle this important account. Deciding to work with Lewis on the presidential campaign. he chooses his team Sid Myers (George Psarras), Louise Brown (Roneet Aliza Rahamim) and Aaron Ehrlich (Keenan Murphy Flagg). Bernbach says Lewis told him that all of the people working on the campaign must be Democrats; he tells his team that he’s done his homework and knows all of them are committed to the Democratic cause.
Michael Champlin (photo by Mark Kitaoka)
One key figure in Daisy yet to be mentioned: Tony Schwartz, portrayed with unsettling precision by Michael Champlin. An agoraphobe, Schwartz spends most of his time in his basement ‘sounds lab,’ rarely venturing beyond the confines of his home. He feels safest within an eight-block radius and avoids buildings taller than a few stories. How he becomes integral to the story is something theatergoers will have to discover for themselves.
Michael Champlin, Roneet Aliza Rahamim (photo by Tracy Martin)
Director Jeffrey Bracco keeps a tight reign on all these goings-on, not easy to do when there are so many short scenes that have the hard-working stage crew dashing on to move a desk here, a chair there, adding a rug, and then dashing off again. Overall, the play–while fascinating–is too talky, and we need better amplification for the actors, some of whom are overwrought. And Bracco has Ms. Rahamim speak her lines while facing the audience, which is a bit off-putting.
The cast of Daisy (photo Tracy Martin)
What Hillbarn Theater attendees should expect from this Regional Premiere of Daisy is a visual onslaught of large continuously changing sepia and black-and-white photographic images beginning with one of President Donald Trump and rewinding through the years all the way into long-ago American presidential history. Hillbarn’s Artistic Director Steve Muterspaugh oversaw both the acceptable scenic design and projections–a continuous montage of hundreds of images that, along with Lyre Alston’s sepia-toned costumes, make Daisy finally come alive.
George Psarras (photo by Tracy Martin)
Goldwater’s chances of winning were already slim in 1964, but the Daisy ad implied that he was a dangerous choice. Though it aired only once, it had far-reaching implications for Johnson, who hoped to offer up a two-pronged theme of a “Great Society” and “Eliminate Poverty and Injustice.” For a look back at the 1964 presidential campaign and the birth of negative campaigning as a popular tactic in modern politics, Daisy–despite any quibbles–is disturbing, distressing, intensely interesting, and engrossing, making it a watchable night of theatre.
Daisy
Hillbarn Theatre
1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd. in Foster City
two hours and 15 minutes with one 15-minute intermission
Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8; Sun at 2
ends on February 9, 2025
for tickets, call 650.349.6411 Ext. 2 or visit Hillbarn
Joanne Engelhardt is a former San Jose Mercury and Santa Cruz Sentinel writer and theatre critic and is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. Contact: [email protected].
