All the King's Men

All The King’s Men

            The play, All The King’s Men is written by Adrian Hall and based on the book of the same name by Robert Penn Warner. This play script was obtained by LSU’s Swine Palace Theatre and is one that is making the rounds of college and professional theatres. It is currently slated to open on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at the Swine palace on LSU’s Campus. When attempting to reference the play, All The King’s Men, the only data that could be obtained was information on the book. The play was definitely developed sometime after Warner’s book was published. It basically maintains the same format of the book, and I wonder if Warner might have collaborated with Hall on this script.   

            Warner, then Hall developed a story that is loosely based on the life of former Governor Huey P. Long of Louisiana and was often referred to as “The Boss” like the main character, Willie Stark, in this play. Stark is portrayed as a populist Governor, who starts out as an idealistic lawyer and ends up cynical, corrupt, and powerful. Stark, like Long, is assassinated by a physician in the halls of the state capitol. What happens to Stark and his development into the charismatic politician that he became, is the basis of the play, and the book. The play picks up with Stark already having developed into the charismatic politician that he had become. Stark has been having an affair with Anne Stanton, the daughter of the former Governor Stanton. The present Lieutenant Governor Tiny Duffy informs Anne’s brother, Adam Stanton, a physician and a political opponent of Stark that Stark has been sleeping with his sister. Adam is enraged and ambushes Stark in the halls of the state capitol, where he shoots and kills the governor and is then shot and killed by Stark’s bodyguards. The play is seen through the eyes of Jack Burden, an aide to Governor Stark and a former newspaper journalist. Burden is attempting to reveal the true character of Willie Stark and the pull that he has on John Q. Public.

            There are at least two dramaturgical choices that the playwright, Adrian Hall makes in order to highlight the material in a more dramatic and theatrical sense so that the audience can understand and be drawn into the plot. One is when Jack Burden visits Judge Irwin to inform him that if he continues to support Stark’s opponent, then the public will learn the truth regarding recent activities of the Judge’s son. Another is when Jack Burden finds out from his mother that Judge Irwin was his father; this occurs after the Judge’s suicide which happened after Jack’s visit to him.

            Judge Irwin is portrayed as a long-time friend of Jack’s mother. When Jack’s father abandoned the family when Jack was six, Judge Irwin stepped in and became a surrogate father and mentor to Jack. One can fast-forward years later to Jack’s visit with the Judge on behalf of Stark. Jack is torn between his duty to his boss, Willie Stark, and his admiration and devotion to his mentor, Judge Irwin. Jack banters back and forth with the judge, but in the end, lays down the rules and informs the Judge of his options. The Judge decides to end his life rather than give in to Stark.

            Jack, upon hearing of Irwin’s death at his own hands, realizes that he must have driven Irwin to this heinous act.  Jack is guilt-ridden, and confronts his mother where he then learns the true nature of the relationship between himself and the Judge, that of father and son. Jack is torn and even feels more guilt. Jack comes to resent his boss, the Governor, and eventually resigns. Jack, like Stark before him, has lost his idealistic nature.

            Hall has drawn the audience into the plots and subplots of the play. Another subplot was that of the relationship between Jack Burden and Anne Stanton; they were childhood sweethearts. The play is filled with intrigue, mystery, and drama, as well as murder. Hall accomplished his goal of maintaining the audience’s interest throughout the play.