State of the Union

See it if You want to see a rarely performed classic political comedy.

Don't see it if You want something cutting edge.

Also This is a noble effort that falls short. While imaginatively staged in a small space, the cast is uneven.
Michael Durkin, Kyle Minshew and Anna Marie Sell shine as the leads, and Jamal Garrison-Lowe and Jon Lonoff amuse in supporting roles, the other members of this large cast don't rise to their level.

While I applaud Director Laura Livingston's use of a diverse cast as the power players in DC, the doubling as offensive Stepin Fetchit stereotypes domestics defeats any positive spin.
Imaginative set design and solution for such a small space by Vincent Gunn but the snail-paced scene changes added minutes to an already long play. Costume designs by Sidney Fortner were not as successful (when there is a bit of business about fixing a bow tie in a period play and a clip on tie is used, bad move) and Jennifer Reddish's extreme period hairstyle evoked Disney's Maleficent rather than a high powered business woman of the age.

The production attempts to reach high, but comes up short... Read more Read less