Review: Trinity Rep's POTUS is the Antidote to Election Season Overload

Even though it’s only September, it feels like this Presidential election season has been going on for an eternity.  Regardless of who you’re voting for or your level of excitement, this close to election day, paying attention to politics becomes a bit of a grind.  So why would you opt to go see a play about politics at this moment in time?  Because Trinity Rep’s production of POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, is the perfect antidote to politics overload.  This whip-smart, farcical production offers catharsis and the perfect amount of raunchiness, delivered by an across-the-board phenomenal cast.

This show features five women who operate in the periphery around the male President of the United States, and whose jobs it is to make him look good and do good.  His wife, his chief of staff, his press secretary, his secretary and a White House journalist all have to work in concert to keep running the country, control the messaging and pursue their own agendas.  The result, as one could expect, is very complicated and messy.  The already high-stress day of nuclear proliferation talks, meetings with veterans and a dinner for a feminism group with a very funny name, is further complicated by the arrival of a pregnant mistress from Iowa and the unexpected early release (escape?) of the President’s sister from prison.  

This production is both hilariously written and tightly choreographed.  Each character has a distinct personality and point of view, and the cast work together incredibly well in the rapid fire environment that often feels reminiscent of an episode of The West Wing.  Jackie Davis, as the First Lady, commands the stage with a high, regal bun and exceptionally sparkly jewelry.  Davis is the master of the withering look, and she gets to really show her range in this show.  The intimate space of the Dowling Theatre is perfect for a production like this where each of the cast is often on stage together, each having their own individual crisis going on and playing out on their faces. 

Jenna Scott Lee as Stephanie, the President’s secretary, is in the midst of a confidence crisis that she’s trying to solve by using Power Posing and a playlist called Bitch Beats.  Tay Bass steals multiple scenes as the president’s mistress Dusty, who initially seems a bit one-note and cliche, but in Bass’s capable hands manages to win over everyone she encounters.  The always-exceptional Rachel Dulude plays the president’s sister Bernadette who keeps claiming she’s going straight after her recent stint in jail, but keeps doing things that directly contradict that.  Dulude manages to be both untrustworthy and also reliable at the same time.  Maybe it’s because the phrase “I’ve got a guy for that” is inherently comforting to Rhode Islanders?  Either way, Dulude threads that needle perfectly.

There are no weak links in this cast, and they all compliment each other beautifully throughout the production.  The only real complaint one could make is that the jokes are so quick that often they’re on to the next before the audience has fully recovered from the previous one, but this show would also only be enhanced by multiple viewings.  

Trinity Repertory Company presents POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive by Selina Fillinger, directed by Curt Columbus.

This production runs September 5 – 22 and October 10 – 27, 2024. Tickets are on sale by phone at (401) 351-4242, online at www.trinityrep.com/potus, and in person at the theater’s ticket office at 201 Washington Street, Providence.

Photo Credit: Marisa Lenardson.

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