n December, 1981, a group of White House staffers planned a Christmas Party with song parodies and skits about current political headlines. Several administrations later, now known as "Capitol Steps," the group has made several albums and tours the country making fun of the very people who employ them. New York is lucky to have them for a few weeks.
Cover posters from past productions in the lobby bring back fond memories. Paraphrasing popular songs and books there are: 76 Bad Loans, Fools On The Hill, We Arm The World, The Joy of Sax, A Whole Newt World, Lord of the Fries, Sheik, Rattle & Roll, 16 Scandals, Return to Center, Working 9 to 10. Patriotic music welcomes you into the John Houseman Theater, but it will soon have an ironic edge.
The five-member cast slings the zingers conceived, written & directed by Bill Strauss, Elaina Newport and Mark Eaton, assisted by the onstage pianist, Ken Lundie. Using wigs, beards and props, they paraphrase pop and show tunes to lambaste topics from Enron, Bill Gates and Microsoft, to the Clintons, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, Sharon & Arafat, V.P. Cheney, Sen. Thurmond, and Tom Ridge, Director of Homeland Security, who recreates bedtime stories so that "Snow White" is banished to a band of bearded men.
New York City gets its share with a poke at "Bye, Bye, Bloomberg" for his weekend disappearances, "When You're a Met" a West-Side-Story invocation of the Mets/Yankee fans' rivalry and Bill Clinton's new office, "To The Ghetto" (with "Son of Gepetto" worked into the rhyme).
This year's obvious target is President Bush's mental capabilities. Accused of having prior knowledge of the 9/11 attack, Bush denies he had "advanced Intelligence." Troops led by Major Offensive lead the US Army in Afghanistan, where the strategy is to inundate the enemy with Victoria's Secret catalogs and pictures of women attending college. Another obvious target is airport security as they frisk and harass a nun while suspicious-looking terrorist types pass through. Arthur Anderson is described as "a firm of convictions," and there's a riotous segment on cloning. As always the show's highlights are the two fractured-language "Lirty Dies," which takes on the "Gush and Bore" political campaigns, the Clinton scandals and, of course, the Catholic Church. There's always lots to "dish" about, and there's plenty of spice for the political palate.
