By Jody Tuso-Key — Managing Editor

ATLANTA – We only have a little less than a fortnight until the United States presidential election, and tensions are high. Sometimes it’s a good idea to stop and laugh at ourselves as a nation, and Synchronicity is helping us out with POTUS, or how… This hilarious play sets the White House on its end with imaginative hijinks that seem to be ripped out of the headlines throughout the years. Think the 2 Stooges meets the West Wing, and you have an idea of the seriously hilarious hijinks that 7 women affiliated with the White House can encounter. 

Synchronicity is known for its bold programming and has created a niche by highlighting women in it’s content. Their shows are for everyone of every political persuasion, and this one is especially. While I overheard people behind me coming out of the theater debating which president the show represents (One person was convinced it must have been Obama), POTUS is an amalgam of presidents, with all their quirks and flaws. 

POTUS is a play by Selina Fillinger that opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theater on April 27, 2022. This play went on two Drama Desk Awards and two Tony Awards.  I remember seeing the marquis when I was there visiting in July 2022, and wanted to see the show; however, my musical theater friends had no interest; therefore, I was delighted when Synchronicity announced POTUS as the opener to their 2024-2025 Season, and am so happy I was able to see it. The presedential election day this year is especially special as it falls on my birthday, which hasn’t happened since Bill Clinton was re-elected in 1996 and won’t happen again for another 28 years.

Back to POTUS This is an imagining of what would happen to a lame duck president and 7 women that have a connection to him, each in an important way. This particular fictional president is only referred to as POTUS. The plot centers around the night prior, when the president delivered a speech that included a misogynistic slur toward his wife, not knowing she was in the room. The result sets off a chain of events, including a diplomat who took offense to the slur. We begin with Harriet (Wendy Melkonian), the Chief of Staff and Jean (Kelly Criss), the Press Secretary discussing the best way to rectify the situation. Margaret, Brittani Minnieweather), the First Lady and target of the offensive POTUS enters and demands to see the President, but is blocked by Stephanie (Marcie Millard), his Secretary.  Stephanie encounters Dusty (Jordan Postal) the young mistress of the president. It comes to light that POTUS in his deranged state means to pardon his sister, Bernadette (Gina Rickicki) who is of questionable morals and a love interest to Jean (are you with me so far?). Oh and there’s one more person–a breast-pumping White House correspondent named Chris, who wields a statue across the room and through a doorway which strikes POTUS in the head. I’m not giving any more away – you need to escape actual politics and those pesky ads for a while and see this hilarious show!!

The production team, Director Rachel May and Assistant Director Eve Krueger, need to be commended for their attention to detail. One of the Broadway POTUS Tony awards was for Set Design, and I can attest that Synchronicity’s static set, which doubled as several offices with a few quick changes to furniture as well as a slide out double door (think Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) which depicted two offices and a hallway were inventive. I especially admired the white house projection on the wall before the who and during intermission. Kudos to lighting designer Maliya McCall, and a hearty well done to Scenic designers Gavin E Mosier and Alexander Whittenberg as well as Properties Designer Tierney Breedlove. I’d love to know where costume designer Savannah Cobb found those purple Crocs the First Lady wore, as I actually love those shoes and would like some in that color.

As far as the performers are concerned, I enjoyed each one, but especially loved Marcie Millard as the accidentally drug induced Stephanie. It takes guts to run around a stage in bra and leggings with a donut inner-tube around your waist for more than half the show and act totally uninhibited. I’ve seen Marcie in many productions, she’s one of my favorite performers, and she has a brand of acting that is unparalleled. I also really enjoyed Gina Rickicki as Bernadette and Jordan Postal as Dusty. They each brought a quirky bold individuality to their performances, and I hope to see them on stage again in the future. The more serious parts were delivered expertly by Wendi Melkonian as Herriet, Kelly Criss as Jean, and Camille Monae as Chris.. While they each had their humorous lines, every play needs a serious foil to offset the crazier characters, and this one for each of the crazies. Finally, Courtney Locke as Margaret is a mixture of humor and seriousness and acts as her own foil. She has some of the funniest lines in the show, and executes them with notable comedic timing. 

If you want to see political sature that will tickle your funny bone you need to hurry and get your tickets at https://synchrotheatre.com/ today, as there are only 4 performances left of this fun show!

Thanks! Peace, love and light, and enjoy the show!