The comedic group Capitol Steps put on a laughing riot at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center last Thursday.
Capitol Steps started its run in 1981, commentating on the political atmosphere of the United States and the rest of the world. Anything that has happened, any ideas that people have thought of, attitudes toward those in office and running for president of the United States, the comedians of Capitol Steps have taken and made fun of it.
Nancy Dolliver, Janet Davidson Gorden, Corey Harris, Brad VanGrack and Jamie Zemarel took everything that happened up to the point of Hillary Clinton winning South Carolina and speculation of Mitt Romney running for the Republication nomination of 2016.
But making fun of politics is one thing. Matching it to exactly what you think is another level of talent.
Take Bernie Sanders — I am sure a section of the American electorate sees Sanders as a pot-smoking hippy whose rhetoric is that of spouting verses from the songs of Bob Dylan. Sure enough, that is the scene VanGrack creates.
Some may see Ted Cruz as a cowboy who wants a new nation called “The United State of Texas.” Capitol Steps brilliantly has a scene depicting Cruz as a rogue cowboy on a wooden horse, singing in a twang about how Obamacare is the worst thing ever and how conservatism will save the world from ISIS.
The audience could not stop laughing. It consisted mostly of senior citizens. For a demographic who has seen politics change so many times during the 20th century, they understood everything.
It was pretty easy to tell whom the audience preferred. Bernie Sanders’ character received the most applause, while Donald Trump received the least. But for laughs, they were equally shared.
With all the drama and anger that has surrounded the presidential campaign of 2016, it was relaxing to just laugh at it all off.
The Capitol Steps have had a long history of helping people laugh through politics. The group has recorded 35 albums, appeared on CNN’s “Inside Politics” and NPR’s “All Things Considered,” as well as having three national specials for public television.
If “Saturday Night Live” is the Boston of political commentary, Capitol Steps is The Beatles. They can take any story and set the bar in terms of comedy. From President Barack Obama’s speaking pace to Clinton’s inability to be transparent in her positions to Sanders’ shouting, to Trump talking about how great and rich he is and many more skits, they did it all exceptionally.
The most surprising part was the Capitol Steps’ international commentary. The group highlighted the economic turmoil and bankruptcy Greece experienced and how Germany and France dealt with that. They also did a rendition of Vladimir Putin, singing about how he is better than any president ever.
The Capitol Steps assured everyone in the audience that no matter how crazy things get in American politics, the laughter is what gets us through it.
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