“Stuff happens … it’s untidy, and freedom’s untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things,” said former United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld at a Pentagon press conference April 11, 2003. Rumsfeld was responding to a reporter asking about the looting of Baghdad following the American invasion of Iraq. 

From there, playwright David Hare developed a political drama regarding all the intricacies involved in the lead-up to the American invasion, which premiered in London the following year.

As the second Second Stage show of the semester, Denise Blasor brought the School of Dramatic Arts back to the early 2000s in a cast of mostly Bachelor of Fine Arts students, with acting for the stage and screen juniors in the roles of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld and many more historical figures. 

While not entirely verbatim like “The Laramie Project,” the show is built partially of word-for-word renditions of real speeches. However, what happens behind closed doors is based on Hare’s interpretation.

Starting with a fast-paced introduction with narrated backstories, getting a chance to understand the cast of political actors with increasing pace leading up to the recreation of Bush’s historical moment at a Sarasota school, learning about the 9/11 attacks.

Sir Cornwell portrayed the 43rd president, including his classic Texan accent. Cornwell embodied this character and his insistence on being a wartime president. Cornwell entered the role steadfastly, just like Bush, with his presidential mentality.

Rumsfeld was brilliantly brought to life by Kapil Kanagasabai. The outstanding portrayal was a masterful performance right before the audience’s eyes. He did a stunning job of reincarnating the man, but with his personal touch, which provided a truer representation of how Rumsfeld likely acted, especially when not in front of the nation. From the infamous “Stuff Happens” speech to his wholly consuming performance as an Iraqi Exile to conclude the show, Kanagasabai used “Stuff Happens” to exhibit what he is capable of.

Coby Hawkins as Colin Powell and Savannah Biscoe as Condoleezza Rice both worked expertly to bring their own historical figures to life. Hawkins’ emotion as Powell fought for diplomacy was seen beyond his eyes, with audience members unsure when he would break and allow his protest to be heard. In contrast to the introspective portrayal of Hawkins’ mind, Biscoe embodied Rice through a full physicality. 

Pedro Coelho went across the pond in the role of Tony Blair, who struggles between national and international politics. Coelho created that struggle in scenes alongside Cornwell for the larger global, political landscape on topics from 9/11, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as of 2003, the United Nations and of course Iraq.

While still in Europe, it is Kalālapa Winter as former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin who captured the audience. With a clear mastery of character and understanding of the French position, each word uttered with her well-done French accent landed.

Much of the cast brought multiple roles to life, which was only possible because the actors had a genuine understanding of each role and were able to fully embody them. Oscar Salvaggio was not only Swede Hans Blix, but also played roles of American, British and Russian nationalities. In addition to Salvaggio, Elijah May Desrosiers, as former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, lived in the quiet moments, with small actions off to the side that gave an insight into Annan’s thoughts.

For fans of deep political dramas, such as Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson’s “Kyoto,” who are ready to just sit and listen to how the sausage gets made, “Stuff Happens” was great. However, audience members could easily become bored if they are not personally invested in scenes that last for many minutes of uninterrupted dialogue, all while creating an approximately three-hour runtime.

The pacing shifts dramatically from loud riots to these quiet, still and conversational moments. For a Second Stage show, it certainly works to highlight the actors and the text, but sometimes it goes too far, hurting the viewing experience. When scenes run on without much visual change for too long — regardless of how impressively the actor is performing — it can lull back into a C-SPAN report or even a podcast.

While “Stuff Happens” is a Second Stage production, meaning limited resources and very minimal technical elements, the show did well with what it was given. A wall of newspapers — by happenstance copies of the Daily Trojan — and historical photos provides a great backdrop for the show. Filing boxes line the stage, and while they are minimal, they also add to the idea of armchair generals fighting with paperwork rather than on the ground. 

The show highlights the actors and the text to the utmost degree, but in that highlight also lies the issue of watching intricate politics unfold for hours on end, often not simplified for the layman. 

While that serves as a detractor from the art of theater, “Stuff Happens” is also a perfectly decent reminder of how conversations turn to war turn to fighting turn to death, all while audience members wait away the hours in the seats of McClintock Theatre.