Tony Award-winning production company Seaview (Slave Play), Academy Award-nominated producer Lynette Howell Taylor’s 51 Entertainment (A Star is Born), Olivier Award-winning Glass Half Full Productions (Betrayal), and Tony Award-winning entertainment company Level Forward (What the Constitution Means to MeSelina Fillinger’s new play POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. A 2019 selection for The Kilroys’ List, this modern farce will stake its flagon Broadway this spring at the iconic Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street). POTUS marks the Broadway debut of 28-year-old playwright Selina Fillinger (Something Clean), in a production directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys).
One four-letter word is about to rock 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When the President unwittingly spins a PR nightmare into a global crisis, the seven brilliant and beleaguered women he relies upon most risk life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity to keep the commander-in-chief out of trouble. POTUS features an all-star cast of women, including Tony Award nominee Lilli Cooper (Tootsie, “The Good Fight”) as Chris; Screen Actors Guild Award winner Lea DeLaria (“Orange is the New Black,” The Rocky Horror Show) as Bernadette; “SNL” comedy legend Rachel Dratch (“Saturday Night Live,” Wine Country) in her Broadway debut as Stephanie; Emmy Award winner Julianne Hough (Footloose, Safe Haven, “Dancing with the Stars”) in her Broadway debut as Dusty; actress and comedian Suzy Nakamura (“Dr. Ken”, Horrible Bosses 2, “Avenue 5”) in her Broadway debut as Jean, Tony Award winner Julie White (The Little Dog Laughed, “Nurse Jackie,” Transformers) as Harriet; and Grammy, Emmy & Tony Award nominee Vanessa Williams (Into the Woods, “Ugly Betty”, “Desperate Housewives”) as Margaret. The cast also includes Anita Abdinezhad (Persian Pod), Gisela Chípe (“Manifest”), Jennifer Fouché (Chicken & Biscuits), and Lisa Helmi Johanson (Avenue Q) as standbys.
Broadway’s uproarious new comedy about the women in charge of the man in charge of the free world, POTUS begins previews at the Shubert Theatre on Thursday, April 14, 2022, with an official Opening Night of Monday, May 9, 2022, for a limited engagement through Sunday, August 14, 2022.
Director Susan Stroman stated, "I could not be more excited to be headed to the Shubert Theatre this spring with Selina Fillinger and POTUS. Selina's wickedly funny satire questions how complicit we really are in the woes of the world — and what would happen if we simply stood back instead of continuing to empower the leaders who got us to where we are in the first place. Truly, it’s an honor to work with her and this incredible cast of women. I am thrilled this comedy is part of Broadway’s return—we all need to experience a good laugh right now.”
“Growing up in Oregon, long before I could fathom working on Broadway, all I wanted was to glimpse it,” says playwright Selina Fillinger. “To be premiering my play at the Shubert, with this extraordinary cast and the legendary director, Susan Stroman, is quite literally the stuff of dreams. I hope the show offers joy, folly, and the strength to keep fighting at a time when the world needs all three.”
POTUS will feature Scenic Design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt (Act One, Come from Away), Costume Design by Tony Award winner Linda Cho (Grand Horizons, Anastasia), Lighting Design by Sonoyo Nishikawa (Once Upon a One More Time, Prince of Broadway On Tour), and Sound Design by Tony Award winner Jessica Paz (Hadestown, Dear Evan Hansen), Hair and Wig Design by Cookie Jordan (Slave Play, Trouble In Mind). Intimacy and Fight Direction is by Rocio Mendez (Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo y Julieta at The Public Theater), Casting is by Artios Award winner Taylor Williams (What the Constitution Means to Me, Slave Play), Production Stage Management is by Johnny Milani (Kinky Boots, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), and General Management is by Foresight Theatrical (The Phantom of the Opera, Moulin Rouge!). The producing team also includes Salman Al-Rashid, Sony Music Masterworks, Mark Gordon Pictures, Imagine Equal Entertainment, Jonathan Demar, Luke Katler, Thomas Laub, and David J. Lynch.
Lead Producer Level Forward will also be serving as Impact Producer for the play and will announce key partnerships in the coming weeks with organizations that support women running for office and voter registration.
Tickets to POTUS are on sale now at Telecharge.com/212-239-6200. The preview performance schedule will be Monday–Saturday at 8pm, with Saturday matinees at 2pm. There are additional matinees on Wednesday, April 27 & Wednesday, May 4 at 2pm, and on Sunday, May 8 at 3pm. After May 9, the regular schedule will be Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday at 2 & 8pm, Thursday at 7pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Schedules may vary - check the website for the most accurate information.