“Conscience” Shows Why a Woman’s Place is in the House and the Senate Thanks to Margaret Chase-Smith

Nov 12, 2020 by Sue Weston

By Sue Weston and David Dobkin

The world premiere of Joe DePietro’s “Conscience,” a historic-fictional account of how the late-Margaret Chase Smith (played by Harriette Harris) stood up to Senator Joseph McCarthy, returns to the George Street Playhouse as a virtual reading. We were fortunate to attend and review Conscience in March.

In 1950, Ms. Smith, then a freshman Republican US Senator from Maine, was among the first in the country to criticize the tactics of McCarthyism. She had already served in the House of Representatives, and, when she won election to the Senate, she became the first woman ever to serve in both Houses of Congress and the first woman to represent Maine in either. She remains the longest-serving Republican woman in the Senate.

Politics have changed little since the 1950s. Politicians still present their opinions as though they were facts, doing anything required to win votes. As Joe McCarthy, the Republican Senator from Wisconsin, Lee Sellars shows how anti-communist sentiment was used to attract voters and media attention. Mr. Sellars is the embodiment of a politician intoxicated with power who crosses the line of decency by making accusations against individuals for having communist affiliations.

By exploring the seductive power of politics, Mr. DiPietro affords a glimpse into the events that lead Smith to take her stand.

The 120-minute performance, divided into two acts including a 15-minute intermission, begins splendidly, introducing the two lawmakers who appear to have similar political sentiments sitting together on a train to the Senate. Smith asks to be on the sub-committee that McCarthy chairs, describing herself as a Senator rather than a woman.

Unfortunately, the second act lacks the crispness and punch of the first. Shifting the focus to McCarthy’s frailties, such as his affinity for drink, threats, and power, Mr. DiPietro underplays the seriousness of the Wisconsin Senator’s ability to galvanize support for a public witch hunt.

Smith, on the other hand, displays her political ability to keep secrets hidden, including her husband’s philandering, which may have led to the syphilis that killed him (and not the widely touted heart attack) and an illegitimate child. She also manages to avoid public discussion of her aide’s sexual tendencies.

Equally caught up in politics, albeit less ruthlessly than McCarthy, Smith is portrayed as less innocent than usually considered, and, therefore, her motives are tarnished.

Social norms have changed since the 1950s, as is apparent from the interactions between the Senators and their aides. It was acceptable for Jean Kerr (Cathryn Wake), who served as McCarthy’s aide, and William Lewis, Jr., (Mark Junek), Smith’s aide, to engage in an affair, but, at that time, any mention of homosexuality would have been career-ending.

Two scenes, cleverly set in respective bathrooms, further show gender differences. The women exchange niceties while applying lipstick in front of the mirror; the men stand at urinals as McCarthy makes not-so-subtle threats. Smith is shown granting an interview, wearing an apron while taking an apple pie from the oven and fearing she might lose support if viewers learned that she did not bake the pie herself.

The performances at the George Street were impeccable. The actors even bore striking resemblances to their historic characters. The depiction of life in the 1950s was authentic down to Margaret’s stockings.

It was refreshing to learn about this unsung heroine, who protected the American people from catastrophic charges and life-changing repercussions based on unfounded accusations. Public panic, if left unchecked could have destroyed our judicial system, as easily as the coronavirus has disrupted our global economy.

More than just an entertaining evening, “Conscience,” with its a unique historic perspective, should be seen if it returns to the George Street Theater or plays elsewhere.

***

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