If you have even the most passing interest in US politics, you will know POTUS and you will have heard of SCOTUS. Now meet ROTUS – receptionist of the United States, taking a break from the Oval Office and now on show at Park Theatre.
The biting new satire, written and performed by Leigh Douglas, probes at the moral contours of conservative American women whose mission is to ‘make America hot again’. Directed by Fiona Kingwill, the drama is packed with frothy humour which swirls over sinister undercurrents.
Sorority girl and ‘blond bombshell’ Chaisty Quirk has bagged herself a job as the White House’s receptionist. Determined to use her political nous to serve her professional ambitions, she draws liberally – pardon the pun – on themes which often crop up in right-wing circles, from Christianity to traditional family values and pandering to men.
Yet bubbling below the surface, under her blond curls and lipstick-embossed smile are weighty dilemmas concerning power, loyalty and intrigue with which she is forced to contend.
Having dazzled the Edinburgh Fringe last year, this witty 70-minute one-woman show is sure to lift you out of news-bred gloom. Douglas’ sustained performance is marred only by a musical interlude which injects a dose of incongruous whimsy just as the narrative is beginning to veer into darker territory.
If you manage not to get too distracted, you are in for a treat as the play unfurls.
'ROTUS: Receptionist of the United States' is on until 7 February at Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, N4 3JP. Find out more here.
