The White House Murder

Playwright/cartoonist Jules Feiffer wrote this hilariously lethal political satire during the Vietnam War, but it’s more relevant now and funnier than ever. The U.S. war with Brazil is going badly, and the presidential election is looming. Desperate, General Pratt unleashes an experimental nerve gas against the enemy, but in a classic case of blowback, the wind changes and the direction of the deadly gas is reversed. A murder in the White House causes further panic, and evidence suggests that the killer could only be the President or a member of his cabinet. As casualties mount, a spectacular round of buck-passing, rationalizing and cover-ups ensues, and party loyalties prevail over truth, humanity and national welfare. Feiffer’s black comedy mercilessly skewers all the political follies, cynicism and deception we¹ve come to know and loathe.