"The question that he starts with is, 'Am I getting my due in the way of recognition?'" says Lawton, who's also directing the production.
"People might say, 'He won World War II. He was president for a while. And there's a button called 'I Like Ike,'" says Tony Braithwaite, artistic director for Act II Playhouse. "There's a heck of a lot we don't know about Eisenhower."
The solo show, on now at Act II Playhouse, pulls back the curtain on the 34th president.
"Expect to be surprised," says Lawton. "He's more interesting than you think."
We meet Ike in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, post-presidency, during the summer of 1962.
"And the stats have come out, as it were, ranking the best presidents of all time and he didn't get the best ranking," says Braithwaite.
Lawton, playing Eisenhower, announces he has been labeled "mediocre and inept" as a president.
"The play is him sort of defending why that might be off base," says Braithwaite.
"He's working on a biographical book with a writer who has left him with a tape recorder," says Lawton.
Eisenhower records his thoughts on his legacy. He served two terms as president from 1953 to 1961. "He was dealing with the Cold War. He was dealing with segregation," says Lawton. "But he says, 'Sometimes doing your duty is no greater than just taking a piece of ground and leaving it better than you found it,' which is a governing principle that guides him throughout his life."
Eisenhower also touches on his personal life, from growing up poor in Kansas to his time at West Point.
"You can really relate to this human being, talking about his family and loss," says Braithwaite.
It's a drama with levity.
"It'll make you proud to be an American," says Lawton.
"Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground" runs through September 13, 2026 at the Act II Playhouse in Ambler.
"Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground" | Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground - Act II Playhouse
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Act II Playhouse
56 E. Butler Ave. Ambler, PA 19002