During the next two weeks, the major political parties will assemble their faithful in Tampa, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C., to officially nominate their presidential tickets. These conventions were once places of high political drama. But over the decades, as the primary system has determined the candidates well in advance, conventions have become political theater. With that in mind, there’s much to be said on staging in politics — not substance, but style.
In the theater, stars are stars at least partly because of the way they’re presented — in brighter lighting, on higher platforms. Lesser characters can walk onstage; stars make an entrance, preferably at the top of a staircase with the rest of the cast looking up, as Angela Lansbury did in Mame, or Richard Kiley did in Man of La Mancha.
And last week, when presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney introduced his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, in Norfolk, Va., he took a page from that playbook.
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