Madcap ‘POTUS’ Kicks Off Trinity Rep’s Season

September 1, 2024September 12, 2024 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

The opening show of Trinity Repertory Company’s 61st season is Selina Fillinger’s political feminist farce called “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.” It’s a contemporary farce about seven women at the White House trying to keep things running smoothly in spite of an incompetent and morally bankrupt head of the US. Sound familiar? When a PR problem that could have dire worldwide consequences pops up, it is up to these seven women to do damage control. These women include his wife, chief of staff, press secretary, mouthy ex-con sister, mousy secretary, young “innocent” girl from Iowa, and a nosy reporter who wants the inside scoop. Director Curt Columbus picks seven strong actresses to portray these diverse and extremely comical characters. The madcap adventures and roller coaster ride they bring us on leads to nonstop laughter from start to finish, helping us escape from the stressful 2024 election looming upon us in November. What a marvelous way to begin Trinity’s 61st season.

SpeakEasy’s “POTUS” Soothes Our Distressed Political Souls With the Balm of Humor

September 30, 2023September 30, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of SpeakEasy Stage’s production of “POTUS” (Courtesy Nile Scott Studios)

“POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” by Selina Fillinger. Directed by Paula Plum. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord. Sound Design by Aubrey Dube. Lighting Design by Karen Perlow. Costume Design by Rebecca Glick. Fight Choreography by Angie Jepson. Presented by Speakeasy Stage at the Calderwood Pavilion, Boston, through October 15.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Hands down, “POTUS” takes the prize for the most winning opening scene currently on stage in Boston. It is shriek-out-loud funny, clever, pithy, lightning-paced, and uncompromisingly no-nonsense.

The setting is The White House, not exactly the Trump administration, but also not exactly not the Trump administration. Two pantsuit-clad women are in mid-conversation when the audience joins them.

Chief of Staff Harriet (Lisa Yuen) is filling in Press Secretary Jean (Laura Latreille) on the morning’s diplomatic meeting and on what POTUS did that she, as press liaison, will have to spin at the press briefing that is about to start.

Speakeasy’s POTUS: A Farce to Be Reckoned With

September 23, 2023September 23, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Catia, Marianna Bassham, and Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda SpeakEasy Stage’s production of “POTUS” (Courtesy Nile Scott Studios)

By Linda Chin

U.S. presidents are the central figures of two productions running concurrently in Boston theatres this fall – Lyric’s Assassins, a musical about seven men and two women trying to kill the president by the legendary Stephen Sondheim, and Speakeasy’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, an uproariously funny ‘straight’ play that marked playwright Selina Fillinger’s recent Broadway debut. Fillinger’s commander-in-chief is not named or seen on stage; the play puts seven women who are typically behind the scenes front and center. Individually, the chief of staff, first lady, lover, press secretary, secretary, sister, and a White House reporter are forces of nature; banded together, they make POTUS a farce to be reckoned with.

Speakeasy’s ‘POTUS’ Mines Chaos, Laughs in the Oval Office

September 19, 2023September 19, 2023 michaelhobanLeave a comment

“POTUS; Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” – Written by Selina Fillinger. Directed by Paula Plum. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord; Sound Design by Audrey Dube; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow; Costume Design by Rebecca Glick; Fight Choreography by Angie Jepson. Presented by Speakeasy Stage Company at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston, through October 15

by Mike Hoban

There’s a lot to like about POTUS, the opening production for Speakeasy Stage’s 2023-2024 season. Featuring not only an all-female cast but an all-female production team, this lightning-paced farce sends up the absurdity of a crew of over-qualified, under-appreciated women propping up a misogynistic boob as he bumbles his way through his leadership role. Only in this case, it’s not an American corporation or institution; it’s the most pressure-packed job on the planet – the U.S. presidency.