NEW YORK, July 19 (UPI) -- A perennial satirical show, "Capitol Steps," has the president and Congress as its primary targets but almost any famous or infamous person is fair game for this talented troupe of congressional staffers turned comedians.
Currently playing at the Off-Broadway John Houseman Theater through Aug. 31, "Capitol Steps: When Bush Comes to Shove" is a highly entertaining and occasionally hilarious show of skits and songs that is more good-natured than malicious. It has the flavor of a scattershot college parody that lacks true sophistication but makes up for it by a genuine desire to please.
It also has a star in Bill Strauss, a co-founder of the troupe with Elaina Newport, who is adept at assuming the personalities of a number of characters in the course of the show but is brilliant in two stand-up routines in which he talks facilely in spoonerisms to great off-color comic effect. He keeps the show perking with his charm and style.
A spoonerism is the transposition of initial letters of words, so that "way of life" becomes "lay of wife" and "crushing blow" becomes "blushing crow." It gets its name from an English clergyman of the Victorian era who made such slips naturally, attracting unusually large crowds to his Sunday sermons.
Strauss is at his best in a look-back at 20th century presidents and a summary of the dilemma facing the Roman Catholic Church as the result of sexually deviant priests. He pelts his audience fast and furiously with spoonerisms so that it difficult to catch all the double entendres, and he even invites the audience to join in the tongue-twisting fun.
"Capitol Steps" is given in two acts and the second act is stronger than the first, a plus for any show. Its subject matter, which is continually revised to keep it up to date, ranges from gangster John Gotti's daughter remembering her father's virtues to the color-coded states of alert created by Tom Ridge of Homeland Security. Arthur Anderson is described as "the accounting firm with convictions."
Martha Stewart agonizes of a new decorating challenge: "Can I make the Big House more like home? Let's take this single cell here ..."
President George W. Bush is portrayed as a master of malapropisms, observing, "Democrats are accusing me of having advanced intelligence." But he points out he has a lot more than that in his favor: "I'm leading the war, and there's one thing more -- I'm not Al Gore." Laura Bush comes off as incorrigibly sweet and protective of her man.
The show has President Bill Clinton admitting he had a lot of trouble with his administration with "Bin Laden, bin cheatin', bin impeached" and explaining why his New York presidential office is in "the ghetto."
The U.S. Supreme Court comes in for a ribbing, and so does New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg as a result of his weekend getaways -- "Bye Bye Bloomberg" sung to "Bye Bye Blackbird".
Singing is very much a part of this show and it doesn't get better than when three members of the 11-member cast, claiming to the be U.S. Army Delta Team, parody the Andrews Sisters in camouflage fatigues and sing, "Tal, Tal, Taliban." Oil-loving Vice President Dick Cheney sings "The Drills are alive..." to the music of "The Sound of Music" and the Rev. Jerry Falwell, posing as the Phantom of the Opera, asks that power be given to "the loonies of the right."
Pianist Ken Lundi, a Clinton look-alike, provides all the music and joins in the repartee. Since the piano and some microphones are the show's only props, it can travel light to almost any destination and has in 48 of the 50 states so far.
"Capitol Steps" had its origin in an irreverent show provided by a group of congressional aides asked to liven up a Senate Foreign Relations Committee Christmas party in 1981. Strauss and Newport, both working for senators, decided that if entertainers could become president, as Ronald Reagan was then, why shouldn't politicians become entertainers, and the troupe was born. Since then it has given more than 4,500 performances.
"Capitol Steps" has its headquarters in Alexandria, Va., and has its own production and booking staff and a total cast of 22. It has recorded 22 albums, including one of the current show, has been featured on shows on all the TV networks, and is heard four times a year on National Public Radio on "Politics Takes a Holiday" specials.
The troupe has performed for the past five presidents. They seemed to have enjoyed the show or at least they grinned and bore it. The Washington rumor mill has it the only politicians who don't like "Capitol Steps" are the ones that have been overlooked as targets of the show's slings and arrows.
