The Capitol Steps: I'm So Indicted
This revue full of topical politicial humor is very funny, even if you don't watch CNN.
(Photo © Richard Termine)
You'll definitely laugh at their current show at The Supper Club, The Capitol Steps: I'm So Indicted. It's one of the troupe's most consistently funny efforts. They've perfected the trick of crafting a good musical parody. First, pick a well-known tune in which the real title need not be changed very much in order to make a comic point. For instance, The Capitol Steps use "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" (from The Sound of Music) and simply change the last word to "Korea." Out comes one of the company in a fright wig, big glasses, and a musical comedy version of a North Korean military outfit. Presto! The number is hilarious hilarious. In another of our particular favorites, Arab and Israeli negotiators square off while the former sings "Embrace me, my sweet embraceable Jew."
The Steps go back to the beginnings of musical comedy -- i.e., Gilbert & Sullivan -- to make fun of the new Iraqi constitution, as three of their members do a chipper song-and-dance routine to "Three Little Kurds from School." When they're not using musical theater melodies, the troupe relies on famous pop tunes. To the tune of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," we get: "Here's to You, Reverend Robertson, Jesus doesn't even watch your show. Ho, Ho, Ho!"
Not all of the humor is strictly political; the show also includes jabs at the price of gasoline ("What Kind of Fuel Am I?), a Rush Limbaugh/Viagra number to the tune of "Maria" from West Side Story, and "Juan," a song about immiagration that borrows the melody of "One," the show-stopping finale of A Chorus Line. There are also a bevy of standup routines, sketches, and celebrity impersonations. Among the funniest bits is one in which George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry debate the meaning of the joke "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
The cast of five, some of whom worked on Capitol Hill before taking this back door into show business, are a talented bunch. The highest praise goes to Michael Forrest and Mike Thornton. Forrest has a great voice, strong acting chops, and exceptional articulation, all of which help make a large percentage of his gags land effectively. Thornton, a veteran of the troupe, is a natural performer. His impersonations of Bush and former vice president Al Gore are dead-on, his comic timing is impeccable, and he will shamelessly do anything for a laugh.