Three Rivers Music Theatre presents a presidential comedy with its production of “POTUS (Or Behind Every Great Dumbass There Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive).”
Premiering on Broadway in April 2022, the show follows a group of women associated with the president of the United States through their chaotic attempts to keep the Oval Office afloat. What begins as the chief of staff and press secretary responding to a publicity snafu devolves into fight scenes, accidental drug trips and a felonious pool-floaties turned accessories.
Melissa Myers Rentfrow, performing as chief of staff Harriet, is excited to be a part of Fort Wayne’s introduction to the relatively new comedy.
“We get to be that first imagining of what these women look like and sound like to a lot of our audience,” Rentfrow says. “So when they think of the show later on, we’re going to be who they picture for the characters. It’s a very exciting thought.”
Rentfrow describes the show as “hysterical, chaotic and poignant,” balancing the harsh reality of the women’s work being undervalued and undercredited with an overall lighthearted, side-splitting comedy.
The production boasts an all-female cast, with the commander-in-chief himself never making an appearance. The show gives the impression that he’s unaware or unbothered by all the work these women are putting in to keep his presidency running smoothly. Gloria Minnich, portraying press secretary Jean, says writer Selina Fillinger’s choice to keep the president unseen adds an extra layer to the storytelling.
“One thing that makes this piece of work so strong is the fact that we never see this president, the women truly do take center stage and the story gets to be about them,” Minnich says. Characters and plot lines from this production are not meant to reflect specific real-life White House events or occupants.
Along with an all woman cast, TRMT’s production is running with a female stage manager and female director, Liane Ambrose.
Ambrose calls it a cool experience and says working with women in this way does not happen often in the theater world.
“I think it just lends itself to their inherent kind of safety and allows for so much more to come out right off the bat rather than having to work up to a comfort level,” she says.
The director says there has been a collaborative environment as the women have worked on “POTUS.”
“I want them to tell me if they have ideas and they’ve been really great at responding to that,” Ambrose says. “I have some pretty experienced actresses, and us creating it together has just been really fun.”
This is the second all-female show for Rentfrow, who says there’s something indescribable about working with a crew like that and the connections it creates. Similarly, Minnich says “being in a room with all these powerhouse women is just so wonderful.”
The script itself is fast-paced, with rapid-fire dialog full of overlapping sentences that need to be timed perfectly. The result is natural sounding conversations, but behind the curtain, Rentfrow declares it one of the hardest scripts she’s had to work with. Try saying “nuclear nonproliferation” three times fast and you’ll get the idea, she says.
In contrast, Minnich calls the script “a breath of fresh air.” She says you can always tell as an actor when it’s a good script because the memorization comes easy and the conversations flow naturally, something that’s present in this production.
“It flows so well, because in real life, people do talk over each other, and it just feels so natural,” she says. “Even though there is a lot happening and a lot of words are flying out of our mouths, it still comes off as so funny and real and draws the audience in.”
The style of the venue also draws the audience in, according to Rentfrow, with the smaller theater adding intimacy to the performance. The TRMT theatre is a room without a stage, so the audience is on the same level as the cast with the seating reorganized to fit each production’s needs. The close quarters allow the actors to play to the crowd, Rentfrow says.
“When you are literally face-to-face with somebody performing, the audience is immediately swept up into the play and there’s this amazing connection,” she says. “You can make eye contact with people and see their reactions and lean into them.”
Rentfrow is a member of TRMT’s board and has performed with the organization multiple times in recent years. She says what keeps her coming back is the TRMT’s dedication to its mission of inclusion and acceptance.
“With Three Rivers, their mission isn’t truly theater,” Rentfrow says. “Theater is a vehicle. As soon as you walk into their space, you can tell it’s very inclusive and comfortable and I think it’s really important we don’t lose those kinds of spaces.”
She added that with smaller theaters like this, you have the advantage of freedom with what shows you put on, including bolder shows that push boundaries with satire, such as “POTUS.”
“POTUS” is a show that’s designed to keep the audience captivated and cackling from beginning to end with its quick wit and physical comedy.
“If you just need to go and laugh and let loose, this is the play to come see,” Minnich says. “I can guarantee audiences are going to laugh, probably until their sides hurt from laughing so much, because these women are just fierce and funny and wonderful.”
The cast also includes Kelly Maloney, Bella Hadley, Pamela Lewis, Tamara Cummins and Amber Reid.
The adults-only show includes strong language, mentions of sex acts and simulated drug use.