Historic Portrayal: Looking Over the President’s Shoulder

Tyrek Hyde will perform his one-man show “Looking Over the President’s Shoulder” about Alonzo Fields, who served as a White House chief butler for four U.S. presidents, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8 in Orchestra Hall. This show is part of Lakeside’s Historic Portrayal Series.

When Fields accepted a job as a butler at the White House in 1931, his plan was to work there for the winter. Based on the real-life story of the grandson of a freed slave who grew up in an all-Black town in southern Indiana, Fields is forced by the Depression to give up his dreams of becoming an opera singer and accept the job at the White House, where he quickly was appointed Chief Butler.

“Looking Over the President’s Shoulder” is told from the unique perspective of the Chief Butler, who served four U.S. presidents and their families: Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower.

Famous guests through the years included Winston Churchill, Marian Anderson, Errol Flynn and the King and Queen of England.

Set on the eve of his last day on the job, Fields reflects on his 21 years of service to his country with humor and pride. He was a man with a story to tell, and this tour de force for one actor gives Fields the chance to tell it.

Culled from Fields’ private papers, diaries and interviews, “Looking Over the President’s Shoulder” has played at major theaters across the country including the Indiana Repertory Theatre (where it premiered) and the famous Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.