Orange is the New Barack
The past two years have offered a plethora of material for political pundits and satirists. Among the most adroit of the satirists are the Capitol Steps, a musical-satire troupe that claims to put the ‘mock’ in democracy.
The group will appear at the Warner Theater in Torrington April 21 at 8PM in Orange is the New Barack, a rollicking send-up of modern political leaders, taking on the major issues of the day and providing sneak-peeks at the troupe's next album.
The Capitol Steps began in 1981 as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. When the staffers for Senator Charles Percy were planning entertainment for a Christmas party, their first idea was to stage a nativity play. But, as their website reveals, “in the whole Congress they couldn't find three wise men or a virgin.” So, they took the day’s headlines and they song parodies and skits.
Because Capitol Steps shows are driven by the current news cycle the songs presented change frequently. The upheaval in the current administration has made keeping up with the news even more challenging. Elaina Newport, a founding member of the group and one of its lead writers, has even been known to text updates to performers waiting backstage to go on.
Today not all members of the Capitol Steps are former Hill staffers but the humor is no less trenchant. The shows provide such treats as Small Hands, with ‘Melania’ singing a parody of the Pointer Sisters’ Slow Hand; Tweet Tweet, a parody of Rockin' Robin, in which ‘Melania’ and ‘Kelly Ann Conway’ sing, “He’s up in his tower all night long, rantin’ and roaring like an orange King Kong; Soon his enemies will feel the heat, every time The Donald goes Tweet, Tweet, Tweet.”
‘Betsy Devos’ croons Don't Know Much About History and ‘Valdimir Putin’ puts in an appearance singing Putin on the Blitz, sung to the tune of Puttin’ on the Ritz, in which he explains his philosophy on asserting power: “...Russian force I must assert—don’t make me take off my shirt—you’ll say ‘tsk tsk’—Putin is a risk... .”
To purchase tickets, call the Warner Box Office at 860-489-7180 or visit the link below.
