This play is about the President of the United States, right? Not really. The subtitle is “Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.” Arden Theatre Company’s latest production of this all-female farce is directed by Jennifer Childs, the brilliant artistic director at 1812 Productions, is quite funny, though at times, it’s a bit over-the-top for me. We all have our own barometers for comedy.
Most of it takes place in Margaret’s office. She is the First Lady. Going in and out of the office are the president’s chief of staff, his press secretary, his personal secretary, a newspaper reporter, and later, on, his sister, whose been imprisoned for dealing drugs. They are all trying to protect the President (except the reporter) from bad publicity since he is about to meet with foreign leaders about a nuclear treaty. But at a press conference recently, he’d said the word “cunty,” referring to his wife’s recent behavior. They are trying to do damage control. On top of that, they are also trying to hide the fact that he has a cyst on his ass, and they trying to figure a way he can sit without pain.
Playwright Selena Fillinger doesn’t shy away from using expletives throughout the play. At first, they are very funny, but after a while, I felt that they were just cursing for laughs. Even the subplots of the characters are overwhelmed by the jokes and the curses. There is some substance in Fillinger’s characters, from the gay relationships and the drugs to the ambitious news reporter and the pregnant woman who shows up.
Then there is the president (who we never see) who will remind you of Donald Trump. It is an engaging story, and they realize (as do we) that many of them would make better presidents than the current POTUS. All this takes place in just one day.
Childs has assembled an outstanding ensemble of women. They are all strong- stronger than men. But are they really different from the men? I do love that they share their thoughts and their struggles, but too often, I feel as though I am watching a silly television show with overacting. And I don’t need a joke on every third line to make it a better farce. Still, I was in an audience where there was constant laughter. Is it because I am a man who is reviewing a woman’s play about women? I hope not.
It’s certainly not your everyday play. Arden presents a great variety of theater and in fact, when it premiered in New York in 2022, POTUS received two Tony nominations for best featured actress in a play. As I stated at the start of this review, everyone responds differently to comedy. There were times I laughed out loud and other times, I didn’t care for the style. It’s a younger view of comedy and I suspect that younger crowds will like this a lot. Fellinger was 28 when she wrote it.
“POTUS- Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” by Selina Fillinger, at Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. 215-922-11222 ardentheatre.org extended thru October 13, 2024
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 