Review: Mike Daisey Returns to Woolly Mammoth with THE TRUMP CARD

In true Mike Daisey style, the master monologist mixes the personal and non-personal, and the known and (perhaps) the unknown to deliver his latest - and timely - storytelling work, THE TRUMP CARD. Daisey is, of course, no stranger to Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company audiences. Those who liked what they saw and heard in IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING, THE AGONY AND ECSTASY OF Steve Jobs, and several others are likely to find a lot of things to enjoy and think about in his latest work.

The larger-than-life persona of Donald Trump and the experiences he's had on and off-camera certainly provide a considerable amount of fodder for theatricalization. This is a man we know and we don't know. Particularly with his latest political venture demonstrating a tendency to ignore norms the 'rest of us' and other candidates for office might value, it's easy for observers to ask "is this guy for real?" No matter how we feel about him, he's certainly captured our attention. Daisey's monologue does too.

Mike Daisey tackles who Trump is today and the forces that shaped him - from his immigrant businessman father Fred to Roy Cohn - to paint a largely complete and mostly coherent picture of what makes him tick, and what his rise indicates about the state of American society today. Weaving in wonderfully colorful and realistic personal anecdotes about his racist grandfather; a mother trying to make ends meet; a failed business venture in eighth grade (think selling peanut M&Ms); performing in the American theatre, hosting a Trump dinner party; receiving and playing Trump's board game; and taking part in a crazy photo shoot in front of the U.S. Capitol, Daisey skillfully avoids giving his audience a standard, straight forward biographical sketch. Instead, he considers the man and what might draw those not attending his monologue to him, with a personal lens which may be not only more relatable, but more entertaining.

One of the best decisions Mr. Daisey made is to use his Trump dinner party as a framing device to tell the unbelievable yet exceedingly true story. It gives the monologue context, and makes it far less unwieldy than it would be otherwise. While the other details of the story and Daisey's charismatic performance will not be spoiled here - mostly because, they are so scary and hilarious that they need to be experienced first-hand - suffice it to say, it more than demonstrates why Daisey is one of the best storytellers in the country. At times, certain moments in his monologue might drag - the peanut M&M story among them. There's also more than one tangent, but in general Daisey remains focused at the task at hand. This is no small feat. He covers an enormous amount of material, and clearly has so much to say on the man that is "The Trump" and what he represents.

Apart from his natural storytelling ability and comfortable stage presence, which evokes the idea that he's just having a conversation with all of us as friends, he presents himself as a formidable researcher, independent thinker, and generally interesting guy. These all make for a great theatergoing experience, and are among the reasons why Daisey held the audience's attention even as he reached the two-hour mark on opening night. The captivating performance, capably directed by Isaac Butler, is a must-see.

Running Time: 125 minutes with no intermission

THE TRUMP CARD plays at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company - 641 D Street, NW in Washington, DC - through August 7. The limited run is selling very well, but check Woolly Mammoth's website for the latest availability. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 202-393-3939.

Photo Caption: Mike Daisey pictured; by Ursa Waz

To post a comment, you must register and login.