One 4-letter word is about to rock 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When the President unwittingly spins a PR nightmare into a global crisis, the seven brilliant and beleaguered women he relies upon most will risk life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity to keep the Commander in Chief out of trouble.
Directed by five-time Tony Award® winner Susan Stroman, POTUS is an uproarious Broadway debut by playwright Selina Fillinger. Lilli Cooper, Lea DeLaria, Rachel Dratch, Julianne Hough, Suzy Nakamura, Julie White and Vanessa Williams star in this riotous comedy about the women in charge of the man in charge of the free world.
If there is a stand-out among these stand-outs, it is probably Julianne Hough as Dusty, whom we first see vomiting blue slushies in the White House bathroom, because she's pregnant...with the president's baby. If Dusty appears to be a stereotypical bimbo, no more capable of having a coherent thought than the flax she grows on a farm in Iowa, little by little we learn that she's extraordinary in a whole host of ways, some of which (but far from all of which) are X-rated. (She's where the ass play comes into play, and that's all I'll say.) Hough, who among her other accomplishments was a two-time champion of 'Dancing with the Stars,' does triple duty in 'POTUS' - at one point, rapping while she plays her body like a drum; at another, leading the rest of the ladies in two different song and dance numbers, which are in the play because....well, why not. Besides, Susan Stroman, four-time Tony winner for choreography (and once for direction), is the director, so why not give her something to do besides stage these characters standing around spouting vulgarities in the different elegant rooms of the White House that spin around on designer Beowulf Boritt's turntable set.
Beowulf Boritt's massive West Wing set goes round and round, featuring everything from the chief of staff's office to the ladies' loo, but its ultimate effect is to scatter the comedy all over the place. Williams has the least to do and doesn't look happy doing it. White tries especially hard, screaming to the point that she gives a pretty good vocal imitation of Harvey Fierstein. And Cooper may be the first actor to use breast pumps on a Broadway stage.
2022 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Rachel Dratch |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Julie White |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Rachel Dratch |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Julie White |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Beowulf Boritt |
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