Republican, democrat, or independent “” everyone has something to laugh about at Gross National Product’s (GNP) newest revue, “Son of a Bush.” Miracle Theatre Productions presents the nationally acclaimed comedy troupe at the Theatre in Old Town, 4040 Twiggs St., through Sunday, Nov. 12.
GNP founders John Simmons and Christine Thompson cleverly expand the realm of humor in politics with starring roles in the satire, creating legitimate grounds for giggles, even when targeting some of the world’s most controversial issues. Simmons and Thompson opened the Nov. 2 show with a hilarious rendition of a theoretical debate between President Bush and Hillary Clinton. Simmons’ impersonation of Bush, especially while “speaking publicly,” not only satirized many people’s disapproval of the president’s verbal skills, but physically exaggerated facial and body gestures at the podium. Simmons did a brilliant job summoning laughter even when he was not speaking. By way of a realistically structured debate, Thompson, as Hillary Clinton, ruled the stage with political banter aimed directly at the president. As audience members challenged the candidates with questions, Simmons and Thompson improvised, foreshadowing a show full of witty talent.
Fueling the debate with questions wasn’t the only crowd participation. Throughout the night, unsuspecting featured guests were pulled onstage as props for the fluctuating topics. During one sketch, Thompson and Simmons conducted a lesson on “how to get money and stuff.” Simmons walked into the audience and asked one man for a dollar and another man for his watch. Both participants willingly handed the “money” and “stuff” over. Simply demonstrated, they didn’t stop there. To conclude this particular sketch, Thompson brought one of the participants onto the stage, sang a rather risqué tune, surprising the man by throwing both legs around him for emphasis. Nothing short of silly, this dramatic gesture elicited an eruption of laughter from the entire house. Luckily, Thompson chose a candidate who was a great sport.
“Son of a Bush” runs 90 minutes sans intermission, necessitating that Simmons and Thompson constantly shuffle on and off stage, and from one costume to the next. While the experienced actors worked within the sporadic time allowances, the lighting could not seem to keep up. However, the few obvious lighting glitches here and there merely provided fodder for improvisation and comedy in a room that was destined for sarcasm.
Other issues lampooned by the revue “” which has managed to stay on top of even the most recent political indiscretions “” included the scandal-plagued Rep. Mark Foley, North Korea’s Kim Jong Il, National Security Administration eavesdropping, the best Congressional lobbyists can buy, Hurricane Katrina, big oil and, of course, Iraq. GNP demonstrated a knack for taking the most serious concerns and perverting them into a spectacularly clever compilation of sketches that evoked a relevant humor that few can find independently.
Thompson and Simmons, the dominant writers of “Son of a Bush,” are assisted by contributors John Moody, Joel Perry, Doug Cox and David Doyle. Since the newspapers are filled with new information daily, sketches are always topical and subject to change. Anyone with a hankering for political satire should head to Old Town and meet some of the nation’s most important figures, or at least their impersonators.
Gross National Product’s “Son of a Bush” runs Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10 and 11, at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 12, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $30 and are available by calling the Box Office at (619) 688-2494 or online at www.theatreinoldtown.com.
This review is based on the Nov. 2 performance.