CITY IN A SWAMP
Political Comedy | Live Shows | Media Productions
How Obama Got
His Groove Back
How Obama Got His Groove Back Lightens Up the Campaign Season
Just in time for the Republican and Democratic national conventions, City in a Swamp Productions returns to the Fremont Centre Theatre this August with a new comedy, How Obama Got His Groove Back. The show provides a behind-the-scenes look at the current occupant of the White House and his main rival.
It turns out that even Presidents get the blues, or—in Barack Obama’s case—the blahs. Fighting the Republicans is getting old, and while Barack finds running for president exciting, being president has gotten pretty tiresome. Remembering how he thrilled audiences when he sang at the Apollo Theater and at a White House blues concert, Barack decides to embark on a career as a soul singer and music educator, putting the country in Michelle’s capable hands.
Meanwhile, Mitt Romney tries to spruce up his persona with improv classes in the hopes of becoming funnier and more relaxed with average folks. An unexpected White House encounter between Barack and Mitt leads to some unusual jousting, giving Barack second thoughts about his change-of-career plans.
Derek Reid and Caitlin Hart direct a cast that includes (in alphabetical order): Natascha Corrigan, Courtney DeCoskey, Brent Pope, Constance Reese, Derek Jeremiah Reid, Chris Smith, and Phillip Wilburn.
The writers are Nicholas Zill and Derek Jeremiah Reid (Barack Obama), who co-wrote Oh, Momma! And Obama, which played at the Fremont in 2011. Zill also wrote—with contributions from Reid – the book and lyrics for Rock ‘N’ Ridicule, which played at L.A.’s Acme Comedy Theater in 2010.
How Obama Got His Groove Back
co-producers Karen Zill, Nick Zill, and cast
Back row, from left to right: Kim Mulligan, Natascha Corrigan, Chris Smith, Derek Reid, Constance Reese, Phillip Wilburn, Courtney DeCosky. Front row: Matt Harris, Karen Zill, Nick Zill, Brent Pope.
Reviews
“How Obama Got His Groove Back is a romp of...amusing political sketches” that “cuts through the bleakness with sarcasm and parody deriving from Roman comedy via the British music hall, Jon Stewart, and Saturday Night Live...This jukebox musical has good will to spare...Reid is terrific in the title role.”
"...a cheerfully scattershot satire with music” that “gets things right, such as Obama’s vocal cadence and Mitt Romney’s irony-free affect. As Barack, Reid has charm and [as Mitt and Ann Romney] Wilburn and DeCosky somehow manage to be the whitest people you have ever seen onstage.”
"While it stays on a sketch comedy level and veers into some wild tangents... the writers nevertheless manage to tie the segments together in a way that genuinely resembles a play instead of a night at the Groundlings or SNL."
“Republicans will chuckle and Democrats will love it.”
— Stephen Leigh Morris, LA Weekly
— Charlotte Stoudt, LA Times
— Don Shirley, LA Stage Times
— Dena Burroughs, El Monte Examiner