BRIAN CECALA
Staff Scallywag
Fans of the iconic feminist and political leader Hillary Rodham Clinton may be surprised that she can add a new title… Theater super-star! After conceding the 2016 election, there were rumors floating around that she had been taking acting classes in her free time. Well, not only are the rumors true, but apparently, the classes have been paying off. The Arkansas Repertory Theater announced the other day that she had been cast as The Giant in their performance of “Into The Woods!” First off, #ImStillWithHer, but more importantly, this is a big step for encouraging similar performances from her former colleagues.
“It really sounds like something out of a satirical article but Hillary Clinton really was cast in an Arkansas Regional production of ‘Into The Woods.’ You just can’t make this s#*% up.”
-Bratt Caum, Local Fredonia Student
This news sent the industry into a tizzy with a new interest of other has-been politicians looking to find a second life on the stage. This reverse Arnold Swatzenagger behavior has put some big names in small towns performing in leading roles, some as supporting actors, and unfortunately, some of them were only good enough for the ensemble. Here is a list of some of the theaters worth looking out for…
- California Shakespeare Company in LA cast Bill Clinton as Angelo in “Measure for Measure.”
- The Adirondack Theater Festival will have a production of “Urinetown” featuring Bernie Sanders as Joseph “Old Man” Strong.
- Uptown Community Theater in Pennsylvania is producing a production of “Angels in America” with Nancy Pelosi as The American Angel.
- Mike Pence will be working as an assistant stage manager for The Smith Center Theater on their production of Sondheim’s classic musical, “Assassins.”
- Saratoga Community Theater will be hosting a production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” with Barack Obama as a “Featured Ensemble Member.”
- Schoenfeld Theater on Broadway cast George W. Bush as their leading man for “Come From Away”
Unfortunately, reviews for the shows have been mixed to extremely bad depending on the production (except for several Saratoga papers who have claimed Obama is a spirited and energized addition to the ensemble and has a beautiful solo in “Go, Go, Joseph”). Who is to say if this is the end of the trend or if we are to continue to see politicians ditching congress hall for concert halls? For now, theaters are seeing a boom in audiences lining up to see just how taught to spot these American icons are.