When I sat down to speak with professor David Guth of the KU School of Journalism, he mentioned that “comedy and politics have always been intertwined”. So it seemed fitting with the current presidential election season coming to a close, that I make my way over to the Lied center for a performance by Capitol Steps, a political improv comedy troupe, on Saturday October 8th.
The comedy group imitated relevant political figures including President Obama, Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, and even Chris Christie. Reenacting previous debates, the exaggerated characteristics of each politician were highlighted through the talent of the actors on stage.
Our Obama character walked up keeping his usual presidential air and speaking almost as if he was reading from a script.
Trump on the other hand was temperamental with the audience and even began hitting on a few of the women in the front row. His hair groomed and perfected to mimic trump’s signature poof of hair.
Clinton’s character was all smiles and unwavering in her
confidence to change our country, sporting one of her many pantsuits.
The group went through a series reenacting the previous debates. The audience was mostly older and seemed to have a better idea of what exactly was being talked about than I did, but republicans and democrats alike sat down with a dose of humility to laugh over the craziness of both parties. By far one of my favorite characters was the Bernie Sanders supporters who walked up sporting Earth-friendly t-shirts, speaking incredibly quiet without making eye contact with the audience at all.
Capitol Steps really put on a great performance and brought some fresh air to the rigid environment that politics can bring. Combining politics with comedy allows us to have some fun and not take everything so seriously. It brings together party members so everyone can laugh and remember that in the end, politicians are just people.