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.
Mostly, the jokes in POTUS are less pointed. The White House setting is an excuse for a broad, zany, old-school comedy, which is a rarity on Broadway nowadays-especially in the form of a world premiere by a twentysomething woman. You can feel how hungry the spectators are to laugh together, and they get to do it often in this silly, fast-paced lark. It helps enormously that the production, directed by Susan Stroman (The Producers), is so well-cast. This ensemble makes an implicit argument of its own for female accomplishment: Even when their characters are floundering hopelessly, these ladies are pros.
What has indisputably been established throughout both acts is that the seven cast members are each worth whatever salary they're getting and more. Each, as cleverly dressed by Linda Cho, deserves a separate order-of-appearance rave: White for her unmitigated fury, Nakamura for her dignified uppityness, Dratch for her vague otherworldliness (especially when calling attention to her covered nipples), Williams for her dignified but no-nonsense great lady, Cooper for her sneakiness, Hough for her unabashed cheer, DeLaria for her never-abating brazenness. Susan Stroman, apparently on leave from musicals, directs. She's so creative at this song-and-dance-less assignment that the leave is likely to be extended. She never falters at keeping the stage lively. That goes for the stretches where the Fillinger script stalls. Yes, Stroman lovers, she does slip in a brief dance routine or two.
| 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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