CITIZEN DRUMPF
by Matthew Lord & Kelley Poche RodriguezOhLook Performing Arts Center
CREW:
Set Design – Matthew Lord
Lighting Design – Jill Blalock Lord
Costumes – Jill Blalock Lord and Cast
Front of House and Box Office – Hannah Blalock Choat
CAST:
Donald Drumpf – Cliff McClelland
Bernie Sanders – John Garrison
Drumpf Sr., Bill Clinton, Putin, Howard Stern, etc. – Matt Mitchell
Hillary Clinton – Kyle Januszewski
Sarah Palin, Gosselin, Perry, Marla, etc. – Sailor Wallace
Carly, Ivana, Debbie, Robin, etc. – Araceli Bowling
Jesus, Trig, Ivanka, etc. – Lacey Jane Dangerstone
Bristol, Kardashian, Huckabee, etc. – Grace Lord
Melania, Megan, etc. – Pamela Langton (Oct 7/8) then Jessica Erin
Lindsey, Busey, Todd, Scottish Guy, etc. – Justin Rowe
Chris Ponzi, Duke, etc. – Tobyas Meeks
Miss Universe, Lewinsky, Dice Clay, etc. – Shawn Gann
Marco, Drumpf Jr., Track, etc. – Drew Mithcell
BAND:
Pianist – Kelley Poche Rodriguez
Percussion – Michael Moffitt
Wind Synthesizer – Michael Dill
Bass – Eric Putnam
Reviewed Performance: 10/7/2016
Reviewed by Scott Hazard, Associate Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
In case you’ve been out of the universe for a few years, or under a giant rock or in a coma, the office of the President of the United States is under attack. We have two main candidates seeking this office. One of them is a whiny little b*tch, to borrow a term from my good friend, Bill Maher, (OK, OK, so he’s not my friend at all, but the truth isn’t really important these days anyway) and the other is Hillary Clinton.
Written by Matthew Lord, with musical arrangements by Kelley Poche Rodriguez, this musical brings light to the happenings on the campaign trail as the main character, Donald Drumpf, does his best to shake up American politics, specifically at the cost of poor people, immigrants, women and anyone who expresses any opinion counter to his own.
The play details the early days of Drumpf getting that “small loan” of millions of dollars from his father, his days at the famous school he attended and his eventual arrival on to the national political scene.
Lord does his best to keep up with this ever-changing landscape, keeping the play current by adding or altering scenes and dialogue, which is no small feat in a time when the current news cycle goes from “If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy America?” to “And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p***y, you can do anything.” So I envision Matthew Lord watching the news while sitting at his typewriter with a flustered look on his face as more and more content is produced daily by the Drumpfster. Bottom line… if you are one who enjoys a romp through the political mud pile and you’re not offended by R-rated language and antics, this show is a hell of a good time.
The show is narrated by Bernie Sanders, played to perfection by John Garrison. Bernie pops in and out, a Greek chorus of sorts, and keeps the story moving along. Garrison has the accent, the mannerisms and other aspects of Bernie down very well, as well as the way that we all know Bernie wants to end every sentence!
Drumpf is played by Cliff McClelland. While I seriously wonder if there is anyone left in America not making fun of and imitating Drumpf, I have to say that McClelland’s version is spot-on. That pursing of the lips, the overall look and the vocal inflections are very good. I don’t see a make-up credit in the program, but the trademark yellow circles around his eyes, that fade perfectly in to that lovely orange skin make this character complete.
Also present on the stage was Hillary Clinton, hilariously played by Kyle Januszewski. Might I add that Hillary is in no way immune to a good lampooning in this play, so if you lean toward the right, this won’t be a completely maddening experience for you.
The company plays the largest part in this show. A cast of characters from Tanya Harding to Chris Christie to Trig Palin (nobody is immune to Lord’s satire) will keep you laughing until you eventually snort. I’d hoped for an appearance by Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church, Dallas, who fully supports Drumpf even after his disgusting, rape-culture-promoting tirade was brought to light, but it was not to be. Regardless, this play is rife with hilarious one-liners, most of them delivered by the ensemble. I have to admit that I was a bit jealous watching this because it looked like the cast was having so much fun.
If the current political landscape has you feeling completely dejected and ready to finally make that move to Zimbabwe that you’ve been contemplating, be sure to see this show before you leave the country. For at least two hours (thanks to Lord using actual quotes from Drumpf), you will be entertained by the shenanigans from CITIZEN DRUMPF at Oh Look Performing Arts Center.
Written by Matthew Lord, with musical arrangements by Kelley Poche Rodriguez, this musical brings light to the happenings on the campaign trail as the main character, Donald Drumpf, does his best to shake up American politics, specifically at the cost of poor people, immigrants, women and anyone who expresses any opinion counter to his own.
The play details the early days of Drumpf getting that “small loan” of millions of dollars from his father, his days at the famous school he attended and his eventual arrival on to the national political scene.
Lord does his best to keep up with this ever-changing landscape, keeping the play current by adding or altering scenes and dialogue, which is no small feat in a time when the current news cycle goes from “If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy America?” to “And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p***y, you can do anything.” So I envision Matthew Lord watching the news while sitting at his typewriter with a flustered look on his face as more and more content is produced daily by the Drumpfster. Bottom line… if you are one who enjoys a romp through the political mud pile and you’re not offended by R-rated language and antics, this show is a hell of a good time.
The show is narrated by Bernie Sanders, played to perfection by John Garrison. Bernie pops in and out, a Greek chorus of sorts, and keeps the story moving along. Garrison has the accent, the mannerisms and other aspects of Bernie down very well, as well as the way that we all know Bernie wants to end every sentence!
Drumpf is played by Cliff McClelland. While I seriously wonder if there is anyone left in America not making fun of and imitating Drumpf, I have to say that McClelland’s version is spot-on. That pursing of the lips, the overall look and the vocal inflections are very good. I don’t see a make-up credit in the program, but the trademark yellow circles around his eyes, that fade perfectly in to that lovely orange skin make this character complete.
Also present on the stage was Hillary Clinton, hilariously played by Kyle Januszewski. Might I add that Hillary is in no way immune to a good lampooning in this play, so if you lean toward the right, this won’t be a completely maddening experience for you.
The company plays the largest part in this show. A cast of characters from Tanya Harding to Chris Christie to Trig Palin (nobody is immune to Lord’s satire) will keep you laughing until you eventually snort. I’d hoped for an appearance by Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church, Dallas, who fully supports Drumpf even after his disgusting, rape-culture-promoting tirade was brought to light, but it was not to be. Regardless, this play is rife with hilarious one-liners, most of them delivered by the ensemble. I have to admit that I was a bit jealous watching this because it looked like the cast was having so much fun.
If the current political landscape has you feeling completely dejected and ready to finally make that move to Zimbabwe that you’ve been contemplating, be sure to see this show before you leave the country. For at least two hours (thanks to Lord using actual quotes from Drumpf), you will be entertained by the shenanigans from CITIZEN DRUMPF at Oh Look Performing Arts Center.
CITIZEN DRUMPF
OhLook Performing Arts Center, 1631 W. Northwest Highway, Grapevine, Texas 76051
(817) 421-2825
This show runs through November 5, 2016
Fridays and Saturdays at 11:00PM. Tickets: $15 per person. Purchase reserved seats at www.OhLookPerform.com Visit OhLook on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OhlookPAC
OhLook Performing Arts Center, 1631 W. Northwest Highway, Grapevine, Texas 76051
(817) 421-2825
This show runs through November 5, 2016
Fridays and Saturdays at 11:00PM. Tickets: $15 per person. Purchase reserved seats at www.OhLookPerform.com Visit OhLook on Facebook: www.facebook.com/OhlookPAC
