Review: POTUS at Winding Road Theater Ensemble

POTUS is, for many reasons, timely. But while there are many parallels to our modern timeline we can draw, the play also exists in its own world quite well. Winding Road Theater Ensemble, now in its 16th season, brings POTUS to the Cabaret Theatre at the Temple of Music and Art. The play is written by Selina Fillinger and is directed by Samantha Cormier. It features an ensemble cast comprised of Denise Blum, Erin Amsler, Gabrielle Rios, Tanisha J. Ray, Myani Watson, Timea Post, and Samantha Severson. The setting is the White House, with the premise being seven different characters interacting through a series of escalating shenanigans centered around, you guessed it, POTUS.

Let's address the technical elements first. Alex J. Alegria, as always, beautifully lights this production. Christine Arbor provides great work as intimacy coordinator. It is great to see intimacy coordinators being used more and more in theatre, because they play a crucial role. I appreciated the sound design by Erin Amsler. And of course, I appreciated the musical selections. The lighting and sound effects blended together nicely to create a solid through line for the story of POTUS.

Samantha Cormier succeeded in gathering quality performances from her actors. She is a strong director, and effectively brought to the surface the darkly comedic themes of the show. Personally, I enjoyed Act II more than Act I. The Cabaret Theatre is small, and I found the action to be less cluttered when it spilled into the house and past the apron. The play became more engaging at that point, whereas in Act I there was a lot of blocking squished onto the proscenium. The play moved quickly and kept me on the edge of my seat, in both Acts.

Tanisha J. Ray is the standout performance here. She exudes electric energy as Margaret. Ray is at her best here, and I've seen her perform a few times quite well before this. In positive contrast, Erin Amsler's subtle and understated performance as Jean really caught my attention. Her reactions and facial expressions in response to the ensuing chaos are simply hysterical. Amsler is a very strong actor. All of the actors had really good chemistry, and they played off of each other very well.

Not every joke lands here. There were some bits that I felt went on a little too long, or didn't get as much of an audience response as others. However, when the show is funny, it is ridiculously funny. There is a lively chase scene in Act II that is worth the price of admission. As previously mentioned, Act II is the high point of the show, which is good. It sends the audience on their way on a high note.

The rest of the ensemble (Denis Blum as Harriet, Gabrielle Rios as Stephanie, Myani Watson as Chris, Timea Post as Dusty, and Samantha Severson as Bernadette) put in wonderful performances. I was impressed with the physical comedy each actor brought to their performances. And there was a lot of physical comedy here. In particular, Timea Post's portrayal of Dusty was especially bizarre in all the best ways. The energy on that stage was palpable and the audience fed off of it.

Keep in mind, POTUS is for adults. There is pervasive strong language and also quite a bit of adult content. I was right at home. I think it's important to know going in that this is an R-Rated show. And it is both well-directed and well-acted. If you like dark comedy, POTUS will fit the bill. POTUS is playing through September 22 and tickets to the play are available at windingroadtheater.org.

Photo Credit: JJ Snyder Photography

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