Best of Enemies was the most captivating play I’ve ever seen. Best of Enemies is about the political debate between Gore Vidal and William Buckley in 1968. The set design, lighting design, projections, and writing were the aspects that made the show the most fascinating.
Although this show is centered around American politics, all audience members (even British audiences) could likely follow the show due to context clues. One could easily tell what time period it was because of the black and white projections of different television advertisements, dating back to around the 1960s. Also people and things that were prevalent in the late 60s were mentioned, such as the “days of rage”/Vietnam war protests, James Baldwin, Andy Warhol, Martin Luther King were all mentioned, all people and things that were prevalent in the late 60s.
The setting design was minimalistic, there were very few set pieces. The minimalist set really allows audiences to hone in on what’s being said in the debates. It was creative how the top of the stage split up into 3 different rooms that doubled as “tv screens”. Additionally, I liked how the lights around the border of the stage flashed whenever there was music in the show, coordinating with the sound design.
It was clever to project clips of the actual historical events while the characters were on stage. For example, when Baldwin enters, the infamous Baldwin v. Buckley debate plays on the screens. And when Buckley and Vidal first enter, real images of them are projected onto the screens. Filming the news anchor and the “debate” live and projecting it onto the screens at the top of the stage was a nice touch. Especially for those who did not have the best view of the actors.
I felt as though the “days of rage” riots represented the issues of the extreme left (violent protests). But from Vidal’s socialist perspective he believed the protesters were in the right, they had a right to assembly. On the other hand, Buckley was okay with the police brutality against the protesters because it helped to enforce the law. This represents the extreme conservative viewpoint. Through these metaphors, the writer shows neither extremist side is right.
By the end of Act 2, I could loosely guess how the show was going to end as political plays are typically criticism of real life situations. Vidal, continuously mentioned his concerns for the future, foreshadowing the division of political parties in the U.S. I figured that the take away from this show would be that all people have to come together for a better future. In my opinion that was the message, however I did not expect a character from the 21st century to appear and force Vidal and Buckley to almost make up. It allows the audience to envision how things could have been between the two vastly different political personalities.
It’s clear that the writer of this show was skilled because they were able to keep the debate interesting, leaving one on a cliffhanger at the end of Act 1. The writer is also able to condense a rather long debate, while still highlighting the most important moments.
Interestingly, this play reminded me of Steven Levenson’s, Days of Rage and not only because it featured the Vietnam War riots. Mostly because the message of the show is that radicalism is not always the answer, especially when it compromises the well being of people.
Best of Enemies is a relevant play that all audiences should see. I hope that it comes to Broadway soon as it is particularly relevant to U.S. politics and the continuing divide of the GOP and the DNC.
Me and David Harewood!!
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