***** We all know the old saying, “politics makes strange bedfellows” and we have all been witness to some comical moments in political history during the last, let’s say 6 or so years, so how about a comical play that will take your mind off the real thing, and allow you to laugh for an hour and forty-five minutes? Steppenwolf Theatre is currently running the Chicago Premiere of “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” on their Downstairs stage. Written by Selina Fillinger, this farce should tickle your funny bone. I must say that even Jane, who doesn’t do regular plays for the most part, was hysterical at moments and as we walked to our car said “Thanks for a fun show”.
You all realize that my job is to tell you about the play and the story, BUT, not to give away some of the secrets that make it special, and it is special!
Cleverly directed by Audrey Francis with a cast of women that will knock your sox off, this is a laugh-out-loud look behind the scenes about the women that are in charge of the” man in charge”.
What starts out as a typical day in the U.S.A. at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, changes sharpley and these women must resolve all the issues of the day without giving away their little secret. ( their little secret turns out to be a myriad of little secrets dealing with politics ( of course) , sex ( for sure) and who truly is running the Free World. The language in this show is bawdy and if you are a sincere political person, you may not find the humor that is truly what makes this show work. Be prepared to just have fun with these zany characters who just might be real.
I do not want to give away a lot but will tell you that Karen Aldridge is fabulous as Margaret ( the First Lady), Celeste M. Cooper portrays Chris ( who is ready for anything), Sandra Marquez is Harriet ( the POTUS’s Chief of Staff), Chloe Baldwin is Dusty from Iowa who met the President on a tour and has a special gift for him, Meighan Gerachis is Bernadette, who truly changes with the mood and the instances, Karen Rodriguez is Jean who runs the ship so to speak and makes sure it is on course ( until its not) and Caroline Neff plays Stephanie who does some very special things that will have you falling out of your theater seat. Her energy is amazing!
That’s about all I can tell you without giving away some of the secrets that are exposed along the way. Just because you see something, don’t think you really saw what you saw. Pay attention and listen to these brilliant performers. I smell a Jeff Award for Ensemble for this one.
I must tell you the set (Regina Garcia) is marvelous with a stage turntable that truly makes some of director Francis’ staging work. The lighting ( Heather Gilbert) and sound Pornchanok Kanchanabanca ( who also did the original music) is pretty close to perfect but with all the laughter, perhaps the actresses could be miked. You don’t want to miss a word of this zany script. The rest of the tech, costumes (Raquel Adorno), fight choreography (Almanya Narula ) and intimacy choreography ( Maya Vincent Prentiss) are all perfect and if one pays close attention one will see that this is truly a women at work production.
“Potus” will continue through December 10th with performances as follows:Tuesdays 7:30 p.m.
Wednesdays 7:30 pm
Thursdays 7:30 pm EXCEPT 11/24 Thanksgiving
Fridays 7:30 pm
Saturdays 3:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Sundays 3:00 pm
ACCESSIBILITY: for inf on open caprion and American Sign performances, visit www.steppenwolf.org/plan-your-visit-accessibility
Steppenwolf Theatre is located at 1650 N. Halsted
Stage: Downstairs Theater
Show Type: Comedy
Box Office: 312-335-1650
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-U and click at “POTUS:Or,Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive”.
Photos Michael Brosilow
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