Satirical Misstep: The Great Cast of CVRep’s ‘POTUS’ Can’t Save the Show From Its Manic Pace and Forced Humor

CVRep continues to push the envelope with its 2023-2024 season. This time, the provocative show is POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.

Written by Selina Fillinger, the play had a four-month run on Broadway in 2022, earning two Tony Award nominations and three Drama League Award nominations; the CVRep version is directed by Courtney Young. The premise: Seven beleaguered women surround the president of the United States and need to use every desperate measure and resource to help him save face when his scandals spark a global crisis.

It sounds like there’s potential here for a wonderfully hard-hitting West Wing-style farce. I love a good farce, although the bar is set exceptionally high with such beloved plays as Noises Off, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Importance of Being Ernest, Charley’s Aunt, Lend Me a Tenor and so on.

At the Wednesday preview performance that I saw, the vocal volume and manic behavior started at 11 … and then had no place to go. The comedic moments felt pushed and cartoonish. The dialogue remained at an unrealistic pitch and seemed uncharacteristic for women in positions of power. While Fillinger’s script is unquestionably meant to have a feminist perspective, the characters vacillated between absolute empowerment and Gilligan’s Island-level incompetence.

The seven-woman ensemble worked tirelessly to maintain the feverish pace; they were obviously directed to play it large, comical and over-the-top—and each of the talented performers maintained a committed, professional chokehold on their roles.

Shannon Mary Dixon kept growing on me as Dusty, the president’s naive, pregnant mistress. Her relaxed delivery became more apparent as she seemed to realize the pushed comedy wasn’t working with the crowd, and her character became sweetly charming and grounded. Marlo Denise Stroud takes on the role of Margaret, the president’s overqualified wife, while Emily Nash plays Stephanie, his meek, bumbling secretary; she chews the scenery from the moment she steps onstage and keeps it going through page after page of dialog. A breath of fresh air came in the form of Cas Koenig, who plays Bernadette, the president’s rogue, drug-dealing sister; Koenig plays her character with truth and honesty, and steals the show with her subtle delivery and comedic chops.

Tamika Katon-Donegal is Chris, a journalist hunting for a scoop; her attempts to find a place to breastfeed are played as a physical comedy bit that gets tired after the third time. Michelle Liu Coughlin, as Jean, the press secretary, made me laugh several times because of her delightfully troubled, put-upon expressions played directly toward the audience. Julie Cardia, as the chief of staff, is tasked with keeping the whole operation from falling apart; both the actress and the character work tirelessly to keep that from happening—sadly, without much success.

While the show’s first act ends rather suddenly due to the runaway-train pacing, it does have a nice, unexpected cliffhanger. However, POTUS tries to satirize more than it could handle. Moments that should be hilarious—like a wild goose chase around the theater with Nash’s Stephanie wrapped in an inflatable floaty—fall flat. And when the script finally attempts to be serious by wrapping up the story with a nod to the quiet, thankless role women play in a male-dominated field, the gravity feels forced and unearned.

Scenic design is by Jimmy Cuomo, with costumes by Emma Bibo, and hair and makeup by Lynda Shaeps. The technical director and lighting designer is Moira Wilkie; the sound designer is Joshua Adams, and stage manager is Melina Ginn. The production and technical teams at CVRep are always held to a higher standard, because the company trusts their professionals to raise the level of quality—and without fail, they do.

It’s possible the show has improved since the preview show I saw; go see POTUS for yourself, and cast your own vote. Whether you’re a discerning conservative or have a more progressive view, a good debate can come from politically incorrect content.

POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive will be performed at 7 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday; and 2 p.m., Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, through Sunday, March 17, at the CVRep Playhouse, 68510 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Cathedral City. Tickets are $50-$88. For tickets or more information, call 760-296-2966, or visit www.cvrep.org.