POTUS: Or, behind every great dumbass are seven women trying to keep him alive

Trinity Rep jump starts its 61st season with Selina Fillinger’s POTUS, directed by Curt Columbus. With all the debating and mudslinging of late, why not take a farcical break from the inevitable political frenzy! The folks at Trinity know many of us dread the upcoming election, and suggest we face our fears and laugh at them with POTUS! When a presidential PR nightmare evolves into a global catastrophe, it’s up to seven women in the commander-in-chief’s inner circle to do damage control. That is if they can keep their sh*t together through the chaos of increasingly absurd antics. Playfully raunchy and uproariously funny, POTUS is a naughty political farce that’ll have you laughing consistently. “There is no more suitable time than this moment for Selina Fillinger’s biting and hilarious comedy, as it pulls back the curtain on the women working behind the scenes at the White House,” says Columbus. “It’s a raucous, bawdy ride that will leave you thinking while you laugh.”

The cast features seven very talented comedians who portray women of such varying personalities, yet they mesh cohesively. As Columbus points out, “Fillinger’s POTUS is a door-slamming, running-full-tilt kind of a farce! It is filled with roles that women don’t often get to play. While women are often the objects of farce, they are rarely the active subjects of it – the instigators, the agents, the center of the story. And these women have the ideas and the language that motorize the action of the play. They are our sole focus and singular source of all of the comedy.”

Executive Director Katie Liberman believes we can laugh together and find shared humanity with the women on stage. “While the political theater happening out there is treacherous,” she says, “The political theater happening in here will bring you joy, camaraderie, and hopefully, some catharsis. At a time when women’s voices and bodily freedoms are on the ballot – literally and figuratively, depending on each state – this play and its humor feel more like a necessity than a luxury. We need this piece right now to put the urgency of the 2024 election in perspective through a healthy lens of comedy. Sometimes, the joke is more than just a joke.”

Besides the crude language, what makes this show so fun to watch is the exaggerated physical comedy. Especially animated are Dusty, the “prostitot” carrying the president’s baby, portrayed by Tay Bass, secretary Stephanie, played by Jenna Lea Scott, and First Lady Margaret, portrayed by Trinity Rep favorite Jackie Davis, who all have us in stitches! The other ladies within emotional proximity to POTUS, while offering equally hilarious wry banter and slapstick buffoonery, include Chief of Staff Harriet (Deb Martin; portrayed by Mary Potts Dennis on Media Night); Press Secretary Jean (Rachael Warren); POTUS’s sister, Bernadette (Rachel Dulude); and journalist Chris (Sara States). Scenic design by Collette Pollard gives us a simple stage with many exits that have the action coming and going throughout. The lighting design by Dawn Chiang delivers ludicrous surprises each time the lights go out. Much thought went into the whimsical costume design of Shahrzad Mazaheri. Rounding out the Artistic Team are sound design by Megumi Katayama, fight & intimacy choreography by Rocio Mendez, and vocal coaching by Rebecca Gibel. You’ll vote yes on this production! •

Contains profanity, depiction and discussion of sexual situations, depiction of substance use, references to abortion, partial nudity, flashing lights, theatrical blood, and the sound of gunshots. POTUS runs through Sep 22, then in rotating repertory with Kate Hamill’s Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson — Apt. 2B, which runs October 10 – 27. While the plays differ in style and story, both humorous pieces center women’s voices. For more, visit trinityrep.com or call 401-351-4242

Photo by Mark Turek for Trinity Rep.