A Review of Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man”

Gore Vidal - The Best Man poster

I saw a great Broadway show last night, Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man.” What is so stunning about this show is that it was written some 50 years ago, yet its message, unfortunately, rings perfectly true today—politics is a dirty business and those who play the game will often do and say everything and anything to get elected. I won’t go into the details of the plot; you can go to Wikipedia or Google for that. But I will tell you how fantastic it is to see a show that makes you think and has great actors to enthrall. Buy tickets…now. It is in previews and has a limited run. I almost didn’t go because I had some reservations about the cast, thinking that several are past their prime. Wow, would that ever have been a mistake. James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, John Larroquette, Candice Bergen and Eric McCormack are fantastic.
 
Best of all is the script. Man, that Gore Vidal was one heck of a writer. There are so many great lines that flow so effortlessly that you marvel how amazing skilled writing really is. There are some big laughs courtesy of James Earl Jones, moments when you want to strangle Eric McCormack who plays the villain, and just hug Angela Lansbury. John Larroquette, who is also sensational, plays a moralist politician who just doesn’t have a chance. There are times when it is easy to forget how truly great the theatre can be. This was one night that will last in my memory a long time.