A CAPITOL IDEA FOR THIS WEEKEND
One of the funniest troupes in the country resides in our nation’s capitol–hence the name Capitol Steps. For almost 35 years, they have skewered and satirized our political shenanigans in a take-no-prisoners fashion. They take pop songs and musicals to parody politics and current events, but every time I see them they seem to make a slightly underhanded point about the nature of our democracy and that those on the Beltway are clearly behaving in a totally ridiculous fashion.
Made up of 6 performers and a keyboardist, the gang resides in Washington, DC, where they perform most of the year. But for over 100 days, they tour around the country, and this weekend they’re landing into the Carpenter Center in Long Beach. Previous visits have been wildly successful, so there will be two shows to accommodate the demand–Saturday, Jan. 16, at 8 and Sunday, Jan. 17, at 2. If you’ve seen them before, go again: The show is constantly changing based on current events, so you won’t see the same show twice. And if you are politically naive and /or completely disengaged from politics, you will nonetheless find their timely wit both understandable and relatable.
The humor is good natured, not mean, and every time I’ve seen the show, many of the crazy-talented actors were former staffers. The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom (“Don’t quit your day job!”), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.
No matter who or what is in the headlines, I guarantee that the Capitol Steps will tackle (or is that “tickle”?) both sides of the political spectrum and all things equally foolish. What more would you expect from the group that puts the “Mock” in Democracy?
photos of by Mike Reyna,
Keith Stanley, and Peter Dervin
Capitol Steps
Carpenter Performing Arts Center
Cal State Long Beach
Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 8
Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 2
for tickets, call 562.985.7000
or visit Carpenter Arts
for more info, visit Capitol Steps
