Review: POTUS Gets My Vote at Big Idea Theatre

When a show opens with what is widely considered one of the most offensive words in the English language, I’m hooked. Selina Fillinger’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive does just that. This Tony Award-nominated work is a genius feminist farce brought to life by director Devin Valdez and a fantastic all-female cast. It also may be my favorite Big Idea Theatre production to date.

This fierce team is led by Stephanie Hodson as Harriet, the President’s right-hand woman. She and Jean (Mayette McDonald), the Press Secretary, are navigating a PR nightmare. As they scramble to clean up the mess made by the leader of the free world, they realize they’re faced with more problems. Not only has he insulted every woman in the country, he can’t sit down. Tasked with finding a solution to that issue is Stephanie (Alexis Pinkney), a nervous mess who stops frequently for self-affirmations. Just when Harriet and Jean think they’ve got one problem solved, another appears. Dusty (Addison Hersek) from Iowa waltzes in with her Slurpee-stained teeth and lack of decorum, but surprises us all with her chutzpah and problem-solving skills. She makes a surprising ally in Margaret (Carla Fleming), the First Lady. Things are further complicated when an ambitious reporter, Chris (Jude Owens), and the President’s sister, Bernadette (Ashley Rose), show up. These very different characters intertwine in surprising, yet deliriously funny, ways.

It takes a special cast to deliver this whip smart script, and Valdez has molded her group into a cohesive machine. Hodson is so effective as Harriet that I found myself wondering why she wasn’t president. I haven’t voted yet, so I may just write her in. She’s competent, confident, and decisive…we can let her haircut slide. Hersek’s Dusty delivers one of the funniest and engaging performances I’ve seen in a long time. As her layers begin peeling back, one-by-one, we see a multi-faceted, talented artist emerge from a superficial cocoon. She is the epitome of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” All of the women are great in their roles. It far surpasses my litmus test of “would I see it again during the same run?” Yes, resoundingly yes.

It's easy to imagine that, in real life, POTUS might not be too far from the truth. It is, however, a whole lot of fun. See it before you vote, and we’ll all write Harriet in together.

POTUS plays at Big Idea Theatre through November 9th. Tickets may be found online at bigideatheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (916) 960-3036.

Photo credit: Kaitlin Richards

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