Chalk up another win for Cygnet Theatre Company. To close its third season, artistic director Sean Murray and executive director Bill Schmidt produce Robert Myers’ one-man tour-de-force, “Atwater: Fixin’ to Die,” playing through June 18 at the beautifully appointed, college-area theater. Those familiar with the late Lee Atwater’s modus operandi and most particularly those who have a penchant for politics ” for the scheming and maneuvering necessary to the election of a president ” will relish the work. Others, who merely enjoy superb acting and production values, will be rewarded as well.Known for her directorial acumen, Rosina Reynolds stages the spinmeister-inspired work. The man of the hour is Jeffrey Jones, certainly one of the city’s finest young actors. Jones, who earned a San Diego Theatre Critics Circle 2005 Craig Noel for his portrayal of Pale in Cygnet’s production of “Burn This,” gets a rare opportunity, as Atwater, to explore the far-reaches of his range, making us care for the human being despite his Machiavellian tactics.Atwater (1951-1991) was a trusted advisor of Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush and a political mentor and close friend of Karl Rove. His enviable skills and position caused enemies to name him “the Darth Vader of the Republican party.”The 90-minute play sweeps us through the panoply of politicos that played major roles in Atwater’s brief and brilliant career, which ended when he developed a rare and fatal brain tumor at age 40. After his diagnosis, Atwater apologized to many he had harmed through his muckraking. Contrite, he wrote in Life Magazine, “I acquired more wealth, power and prestige than most “¦ the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime. I don’t know who will lead us through the ’90s, but they must be made to speak to this spiritual vacuum at the heart of American society, this tumor of the soul. Atwater: Fixin’ to Die” continues at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, through June 18, at 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Suite N, San Diego. Tickets are $22 to $26, available by visiting www.cygnettheatre.com or calling (619) 337-1525, ext. 3.
