Written by Michael Murphy
Directed by Carl Foresman
Synopsis: In early 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. informed his advisors that he intended to play a major role in the anti-war movement, advocating immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Vietnam. No major figure of Dr. King's stature had yet been willing to take such a dramatic stand, even those thought to oppose the war, such as Senators Kennedy and McGovern. King knew he would be turning past allies like President Johnson into powerful enemies and reviving the animus of old enemies as well. King's inner circle feared he would trigger a political backlash that could undo the progress made in civil rights. The play draws upon the historical record, including the FBI's relentless surveillance, often illegal, and the White House's infamous secret telephone recordings. Michael Roland Murphy's The Conscientious Objector is a troubling story of dissent in America during a time of war.
NEW YORK TIMES:
" Intellectual debate may never replace dramatic fireworks onstage, but with its sharp yet nuanced dialogue “The Conscientious Objector” shows how theater can be absorbing and also earn a place in today’s political conversation."
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK POST:
"Depicting the conflict between Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon Johnson over the Vietnam War, it shows impressive research and meticulous organization. But all that thoroughness yields an overly talky drama, the bloodlessness of which is all the more disappointing considering the provocative subject. "
Read the whole review HERE.
THEATERMANIA:
"Slyness and the subversion stop there, however. Michael Murphy's play -- in which the socially-concerned playwright grapples with how King's opposition to the Vietnam War affected the time he spent pursuing his civil rights agenda -- is yet another example of a less-than-sly work seen frequently on stage nowadays. "
Read the whole review HERE.
VARIETY:
"We are left with Coretta delivering an antiwar speech that becomes a blatant comment on Iraq. It's a ham-fisted gesture unworthy of an often-sophisticated production "
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NEW YORK SUN:
"The unwieldy text needed a braver hand, and the relationships needed a lighter one. Instead, Mr. Forsman and Mr. Murphy throttle out our history with clenched, suffocating earnestness. The show needs energy, air, rhythm, and life. It's a pity that King would have been the first to tell them that an open palm always works better than a closed fist. "
Read the whole review HERE.
TIME OUT NY:
"Here, the exposition is cruelly exposed in scene after awkward scene. Languidly directed by Carl Forsman and stranded on a characteristically cheap-looking set by Beowulf Boritt, the actors try in vain to give the play some shape "
Read the whole review HERE.
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