Lucy Komisar
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“POTUS” is misogyny masquerading as feminism, schlock staged as theater. “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass
Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.” “POTUS” is misogyny masquerading as feminism. It is crude, vulgar, at the intellectual level of 13-year-old boys, or maybe a local sex-themed comedy club that serves up booze and cheap laughs. Harriet (Julie White), the president’s top aide, reports to staff that he has just said at a press conference, “Please excuse my wife’s absence. She’s having a cunty morning.” You heard that right.
He is described as standing throughout the day, even at meetings on nuclear proliferation, because he has a postule on his anus from some rough sex play. Not with his wife. He seems to be a grosser Bill Clinton, and the wife a less intelligent Hillary. If these characters make the Clintons look good, well……. The play is supposed to be farce, though it’s more like sitcom, and never clever. Maybe farce because there’s lots of moving through doors in a set that is on a turntable and shows various offices as it swirls. Vanessa Williams as the wife Margaret is flat. She wears crocs (to show she is earthy) with heels, because, well, you need heels
Then there’s the staff. As his chief aide Harriet, Julie White’s voice stays at one level, screechy. She must have laryngitis by the end. Jean, the press secretary (Suzy Nakamura), was unimpressive, but so are (recent) press secretaries all, so maybe it was a good performance. The empty-headed secretary Stephanie (Rachel Dratch) is a cipher. POTUS’s butch sister Bernadette (Lea DeLaria, always a good actor) is an international drug dealer, which reminded me that when Clinton was governor of Arkansas, the airfield at Mena, Ark., was a drug smuggling landing. Dusty (Julianne Hough), POTUS’s pregnant teen girlfriend, who drinks blue slushes and spits them up, arrives to declare she’s there “for the position,” wink, think intern. Harriet asks if she is into “rough ass play.” From time to time, they ask each other, “Why aren’t you president.” “That’s the eternal question.” No, it’s a fine question since they are stupid enough.
The only almost sane character is Chris (well-acted by Lilli Cooper), a reporter, except that she has two baby’s milk bottles attached to her chest, because she just had a child. When Chris gets into room where a lot is happening, Jean the press person grabs her phone, leading to a throwing battle where a white bust of suffragist leader Alice Paul ends up smashing the head of POTUS who is about to enter the room. You see only his legs. (There are no male actors.) Reminded me that “Suffs,” where Alice Paul is the heroine, was a much much better play for anyone who cares about feminism, or good theater There are a few moments of what passes for serious exposition. “President reportedly stormed out of the nuclear non-proliferation discussions, after a fiery exchange with the Prime Minister of Bahrain.” Jean says, “I don’t think a government as cozy with Saudi Arabia as Bahrain’s can really pass judgment on ours. The reporter comments, “I don’t think a government as cozy with Saudi Arabia as ours can really pass judgment on Bahrain.
Later, Harriet, the top aide, wonders rationally about the Saudi, “Did he take a break from imprisoning journalists to issue that statement?” Made me think of Joe Biden’s fist bump with his favorite Saudi killer. She says, “The only reason Bahrain was even invited today was to look like we give a shit about tiny Arab countries.” To which Jean replies, “Nice, I love the smell of imperialism in the morning.” In fact, even that is not true. It’s usually about oil in the Middle East, though in this case Bahrain has a big banking sector, also known as a money-laundering center. But playwright Selina Fillinger probably needed to “say something foreign policy.” Alas, Fillinger, who is female and evidently hates women, is not that bright. She’s more comfortable with moving the plot along in a diversion to keep the secret service away from POTUS. Dusty (nobly, in the script direction): “I’ll do it. I’ll blow Kevin and Danny. For POTUS, I’ll blow them both.” And (offstage) she does. It’s sad to see normally talented director Susan Stroman responsible for such schlock. This is the worst Broadway play I have seen in years. In fact, it makes raunchy comedy clubs seem high class. Visit Lucy’s website http://thekomisarscoop.com/ |
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