All the Way

All the Way is all about Lyndon Baines Johnson.  Johnson is played by Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame.  The play begins with the news of John F. Kennedy's death.  LBJ is sworn into office and hits the ground running full speed ahead.  The focus is on two fronts - 1) passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 complete with much interaction with key political figures of the day, Martin Luther King, Jr. (Brandon J. Dirden) and J. Edgar Hoover (Michael McKean) and 2) being elected to serve a full term as President of the United States.

Bryan Cranston knocked it WAY out of the park with this performance.  He is simply phenomenal.  Chris and I absolutely loved his performance as Walt in Breaking Bad so we were not the least bit shocked that he was so amazing on stage.  Cranston pulls off a perfect southern twang and truly is LBJ for those 3 hours.  Chris loved the show so much that he intends to see it again.  If you have any interest at all in history or politics, this show is a MUST see.  A great behind the scenes look at the past.  We had a great conversation with Dirden (who plays MLK, Jr.) while we waited for Walt Bryan Cranston at the stage door.  Dirden explained the depths of his research for the role and the quite accurate account the show provides.  Super nice man that does a fabulous job on stage as well.

When Chris agreed to do the waiting at the stage door thing with me for this show, it was HUGE!  He isn't really into that scene.  I really enjoyed having that experience together for a change.  It also helped that Bryan Cranston is so accommodating.  He signs and takes photos with everyone who waits after the show.  This alleviates the insanity of the post-show crowd - so smart!  We both had a fun, but quick interaction with the man of the hour when he signed our playbills.  He is a very kind and funny man.  I'm glad we pushed our luck a little by asking for a photo with both of us because it is my favorite. 

 All the Way has two Tony nominations.

 

Best Play (Author - Robert Schenkkan)

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Bryan Cranston)

 

Andrea :)