In case you weren’t aware, there’s an election coming up.
That can make the news tough to take some days, conversations with family and friends more tense and the barrage of campaign phone calls seemingly endless. So it’s a pretty good time to infuse politics some laughs.
And City Theatre Company’s season-opening production of “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” has wall-to-wall laughs for its entire runtime, starting with the very first word of dialogue spoken onstage.
“POTUS” was written by Selina Fillinger and premiered on Broadway in 2022 with a star-studded cast that included Rachel Dratch, Julianne Hough and Vanessa Williams. It revolves around a cast of seven women who have to spend a day at the White House covering for an (unseen) male president — with a bevy of mishaps and misadventures in store.
The cast was absolutely unstoppable at Sunday afternoon’s performance. Each of them are a unique kind of magic on their own, but together they create a physical and conversational rhythm that kept the audience laughing beginning to end. While the actors are superb, a lot of the credit for that perpetual motion machine of comedy goes to director Meredith McDonough, who finely tuned this production to hit just the right notes throughout.
But back to the cast, because they all do deserve some praise. Tami Dixon plays Harriet, the president’s chief of staff, and her intensity is, at times, hilarious and poignant. She radiates the energy of a woman who knows how to be in charge.
Speaking of that kind of command of a room, Tamara Tunie — who plays Margaret, the First Lady — rules every space she’s in, and the scenes when she unravels pack an extra punch as a result.
Amelia Pedlow plays Jean, the administration’s press secretary. Pedlow excels in moments when her character is frazzled and her ease with the banter-heavy script kept the audience chortling. Saige Smith is Chris, a reporter and mom struggling to hold onto the White House beat who nails some of the script’s most high-tension moments. Then there’s Missy Moreno as the president’s wayward sister, Bernadette, who gleefully delivers on the promise of the play’s most outrageous points with amazing presence.
Most memorable of all are Lara Hayhurst, who plays the president’s underestimated mistress Dusty as sparkling and guileless but with some hidden talents, and Theo Allyn as presidential secretary Stephanie, the most physical in a highly physical comedy with bursts of slapstick perfection. It’s no coincidence that one of the show’s highlights is a late-second-act musical scene between the two of them that brought cheers from the audience.
All of these actors get the opportunity to do the physical stuff in scenes of pure chaos, for which fight choreographer Jose Perez IV deserves applause.
The show utilizes a turntable stage to move the action through various White House rooms. It was highly effective both for the plot and for some great jokes. The set design, in general, was functional and realistic, thanks to scenic designer Chelsea M. Warren. Lighting designer Jackie Fox was able to do a lot with cool patriotic lighting between scenes and a fun rock concert-style musical performance. Costumes by Madison Michalko were often their own jokes (intentionally of course), but also showed off the personalities of the characters (especially Dusty’s). And original music and sound design by Lindsay Jones brought the crazy day to life, especially with some well-placed audible news broadcasts.
It’s important to note that this play is … well, raunchy. It’s definitely for adults — and ones with an out-there sense of humor, at that. Some things are gross-out funny, some are shockingly funny, while others are both at the same time. The humor is political, but not partisan. It’s a feminist satire that centers women in the conversation but will get a lot of laughs out of anyone who’s open to it.
With a script that’s “The West Wing” meets “Veep” and a cast working in perfect harmony to fill the theater with giggles, this play is both a much-needed respite and the best way to complement this election season.
“POTUS” will run through Oct. 13 at City Theatre Company on the South Side. For more information and tickets, visit citytheatrecompany.org.
