Seven women, one dumbass: SET takes on 'POTUS'

Director Jenny Maloney and a sharp seven-woman ensemble bring Broadway’s profane West Wing comedy to the Springs.

It’s a landslide win of blind loyalty in SET’s production of POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. Running through June 21 at the Springs Ensemble Theatre, this West Wing courts chaos as characters spin a PR crisis into pithy fun.

The snappy storyline takes place over a single day as the U.S. president’s female handlers scramble to manage an epic cascade of debacles (and their own rivalries). Just imagine: The bloviating commander in chief has made an inappropriate comment to a journalist, a diplomatic summit has gone south as drug smuggling has surfaced in the White House and the president’s mistress is afoot.

The madcap cadre juggles the president’s blunders poorly — all without our ever seeing him. And herein lies the intrigue: which president? Deeper thought suggests a composite of several modern-day presidents. After all, who among them hasn’t had a faceplant or two (or hundreds)? It’s equal opportunity theatre: pick your preferred doofus and prepare to laugh.

Chief of Staff Harriett (Amber Singleton Carlton) is at the center of the calamity. Carlton manages to balance the stern with the vulnerable side Harriett. Unflappable, Harriet doesn’t give ground to the stressed-out pleas of Press Secretary Jean (Sarah Sheppard Shaver). Shaver embodies Jean as boisterous and frantic with a convincing build toward the story’s climax.

These versatile talents have graced local stages for years, both as actors and behind the scenes, and their experience shows here.

DC mayhem

Penned by LA-based playwright Selina Fillinger and premiering on Broadway in 2022, POTUS earned three Tony nominations. They are well-deserved as the play is a farcical delight and remains relevant — now and going forward. White House shenanigans are a political staple that will always provide fodder for comedy.

The play showcases Beltway mayhem through the lens of those behind the scenes of oafish male patriarchy in power. Not for the young or prudish, the prevailing vibe of POTUS is profane, lewd and imaginatively crude.

Director Jenny Maloney and her creative team have wisely kept the set minimal, enabling the actors’ collective power. The play and its physicality seem at times rather large for the intimate theatre and its tight triangular space. The action is in your face, making the audience is part of the pandemonium.

The sounds of slamming doors and unseen voices contribute to the story’s frenzied chaos. Lighting is intentionally harsh with sudden changes to align with plot twists. Careful stagecraft and a crisp script make for no drag in this show.

Cue the music: Enter the First Lady, Margaret (Desiree’ Myers), who lands her scenes perfectly as arrogant and angry. She is one with the stage and her fellow actors, gracing the space with a larger-than-life persona.

New and worsening presidential misdeeds emerge with an entourage of characters to underpin them. An ambitious journalist and new mom, Chris (Jasmyn Madise) plays the cub reporter after the scoop of a lifetime. Her characterization is spotty, but her storyline is humorous and central to the plot.

Just out of prison is the president’s foul-mouthed, queer sister Bernadette (Kris Fleecs) adding more comic moments. Fleecs delivers dry humor with precise timing.

Jodi Papproth plays Stephanie, personal secretary to the POTUS, with solid comic chops. Her agility on stage is impressive and her gestures speak volumes.

In the end, the frenemies must align to silence POTUS’s gaffes and ease global worry. The staging, acting, pacing and synergy of this ensemble make the show a must-see, even with some staging distractions. It’s comic fiction, for sure, but much of the comedy’s impact comes from the fact that it’s mostly borne of truth.