[Disclosure: Yes, I did take acting classes in high school, yes, I did study modern history and political sciences, among other things, and at one point in my life — well, under communism, actually — I may or may not have wanted to become a politican. ]

This was the first play I have ever seen in New York, or America, for that matter. So all I can compare this to is German mostly small town performances — and damn is New York a whole class of its own. Must be all those acting schools and Broadway theatres and the fierce competition that comes with it.

Am I giving away too much by telling you the very first thing you hear — before you see anything much at all — is one stroke of genius in terms of connecting with the audience? Sound designer John D. Ivy starts the play with the same song that the movie Dirty Dancing starts with, but while you are cheerily remembering the 1960's of that movie, this setting is overtaken by something way more chilling — the soundbites from the JFK assassination in Dallas, turning every single stomach in the audience.

Here is the only thing I did not like: All the intense, high-powered, loud scenes, especially during the first half, were getting a bit dreary. When everything is important, nothing really is. Even men who are addicted to power do have private, calm moments; they doubt and brood, and they have monosyllabic conversations where what is left unsaid is more important than what is said. And the audience needs quiet scenes to structure what is going on. Remember Casablanca or The Godfather? Those memorable one-liners that make a classic might have been there, but they were drowned out by too much alpha male noise.

Everything else was great, and I noticed things I usually do not notice, like the very effective lighting, especially during the last scene, which made it very easy to imagine this as a Hollywood movie — or rather, made it hard not to see this as a future movie. The stage setting, brilliant for its simple effectiveness: the Oval Office, varied by light, and surroundings like the swimming pool. My favourite "thing" was Marilyn O'Connell, the very sexy, very professional secretary of LBJ, present only as the voice on the intercom. May I please push that button, Mr. President?

There were a few good laughs, and tragic moments as well — how do good men end up doing bad things? If the goal of life is to make it through with your mental health and your creative capabilities intact, then the job of the President of the U.S. is one of the most dramatic situations a man can find himself in. How much of your moral integrity will be left after a term or two in the Oval Office? And how much can you actually achieve of that great vision that you presented to your voters? On top of dealing with all the problems in the world, can you create a great society? Or is it all you can do just to inspire people to create one?

As somebody who grew up on the other side of the Iron Curtain, I was not looking forward to seeing a play glorifying socialist big government programs, especially not at a time when Congress is exempting itself from the Obamacare tax it is forcing on the commoners. But playwright Alexander Harrington was smart to give voice to a few facts leftists like to forget, or like to mispresent as something not inherent in communist ideology, like the way communist regimes deal with dissidents. Ordinary Americans, used to free speech, private ownership of guns, and other inalienable rights, cannot imagine the chilling effect on the mental health of people under communist regimes, who have to wonder all the time, am I already being a dissident for thinking this or that?

After three hours of high-powered, electrifying acting — and what could be more energizing than actors playing politicians? — I was struck by how normal the actors looked in ordinary street clothes. Wow — to be playing the President of the United States of America in a Broadway play in fricken New York City, and then to slip out on the streets as a perfectly normal face in the crowd

To return to my inital ponderings about the theatre of New York — is this a common experience for theatre-goers in this city, that you have a hard time imagining a play not becoming a great Hollywood movie? Anyway, I would not be surprised to see this play going full Hollywood movie three years from now.