Hail to the Chief’s Administration – a review of “POTUS Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive”

by Michael Buzzelli

Harriet (Tami Dixon), the President’s Chief of Staff, is pissed.  The president has called his wife, the FLOTUS, Margaret (Tamara Tunie) the worst word imaginable (See You Next Tuesday). She rushes to the Press Secretary Jean (Amelia Pedlow), who tries to spin the foul utterance in Selina Fillinger’s “POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive.”

The President’s very frazzled secretary, Stephanie (Theo Allyn) tries to stop Margaret from confronting the POTUS about his dirty mouth and his aggravated anus; the president has some sort of butt-related sex injury, caused by his mistress, Dusty (Lara Hayhurst).

Jean and Harriet are trying to keep Dusty from a nosy reporter (Saige Smith).

Things get even wackier when Bernadette (Missy Moreno), the president’s twisted sister, gets out of prison to seek a pardon from her bro.

“POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive” starts with rollercoaster momentum and keeps going up and up!

It’s a non-stop jet-fueled comedy with riotous wit and ribald humor.

The all-female cast is the finest assemblage of women since George Cukor’s 1939 masterpiece, “The Women.” To call them Pittsburgh’s finest only diminishes their talent by their geographic location.  They are all stars.

Dixon is amazing as rage-filled Harriet, who is desperately trying to contain every insane crisis that flies, marches or sneaks into the White House.

Tunie plays Margaret with equal parts of the gravitas deserving of a First Lady, and the unhinged lunacy of a woman aware of her husband’s infidelity.  Tunie oozes charisma.

Pedlow gets some delicious lines and delivers them with aplomb.

Smith gets some terrific moments as Chris, the breast-pumping reporter who is constantly challenged by her male colleagues. She is delightful.

Hayhurst is a riot as the president’s not-so-secret mistress. She is a blue-tongued dimwit with inner strength and sexual superpowers.

Allyn plays a full-out loon, somehow adorable and crazy at the same time.

Moreno is a tour-de-force. The moment she showed up (to a thunderous applause on Opening Night), the show rockets into the next level of bizarre. She makes Billy Carter (President Jimmy Carter’s scheming brother) look like Mother Theresa.

The show is insane in all the best ways. It’s hilarious.

Chelsea M. Warren’s scenic design is masterful. It is a Rubik’s Cube of White House chic, adorned with impressive bric-a-brac that would even please Nancy Reagan’s expensive taste.

Tunie’s wardrobe by costume designer Madison Michalko adds an additional layer to her character, especially the shoes.

Playwright Fillinger is some unusual blend of Betty Friedan (“The Feminine Mystique”), Susan Harris (“Soap,” “The Golden Girls”) and  Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing”).  There’s an underlying message but it’s hidden under a giant pile of jokes, pratfalls and silliness.

Meredith McDonough directs with verve. The show is a kinetic whirlwind of comedy, and it is adroitly executed by it’s enchanting cast.

“POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive” is a gem worthy of opening City Theatre’s fiftieth anniversary season.

Cheers to fifty more!

-Mike Buzzelli

“”POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive”” runs until October 13 at the City Theatre, 1300 Bingham, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. For more information, click here.