‘The Great Society’ a bustle of history lacking full LBJ picture

When last seen in Robert Schenkkan’s All the Way, Lyndon B. Johnson was being serenaded with “Happy Days Are Here Again.” After brokering the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with an iron fist and a good ol’ boy smile, he managed to escape electoral backlash and trounce Barry Goldwater in the presidential election. The Great Society, the second part of Schenkkan’s epic drama about Johnson’s presidency, picks up where All the Way left off. The crowd is still chanting, “All the way with LBJ,” but Johnson, that experienced political animal, wears a furrowed brow. He knows that no matter how sweet victory may be, in politics there’s something even sweeter but much more elusive: survival with one’s principles intact. The play, which is having its world premiere at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where All the Way began, also under the direction of OSF artistic director Bill Rauch, is the conclusion of a project that on paper might seem to be exclusively for American history buffs and political junkies. A two-part, 61/2-hour retelling of Johnson’s presidency doesn’t exactly scream box office, but All the Way proved doubters wrong by becoming a bona fide Broadway hit and winning the Tony for best play (no matter that it was a depleted field).