We can’t wait to open our 2024–25 season with big bipartisan belly laughs, courtesy of the Capitol Fools (9/22). No politician is safe from being skewered by this political musical comedy sketch troupe. Getting laughs from news headlines is no small feat, so we spoke with Capitol Fools head writer Mark Eaton about how they tackle the topics.
Politics is a divisive subject! How do you get audiences to enjoy and laugh at the performance in a bipartisan way?
I think you answered your own question…by keeping it bipartisan. We try to be equal opportunity offenders, so if somebody feels we are picking on their party or candidate, don’t worry because we’ll go after the other side and candidate next. And our secret weapon IS that politics is so divisive. So audiences hopefully come to the show looking to laugh at ALL of this political folly. Because, let’s face it, if we don’t laugh at some of this stuff it would probably make us cry.
You tour all around the country with the Capitol Fools. How does your delivery of and/or reaction to the show vary with location? Is there anything special about performing the show in the Washington, D.C.-area?
There’s an old saying in comedy that “if it plays in Peoria, it will play anywhere.” We try to take broad swings at subjects so you don’t have to be a political junkie to be in on the jokes. Of course, if we were hired by the Florida GOP or the Massachusetts Association of College Democrats, we would adjust the show accordingly. But a D.C. crowd always has that “inside the beltway vibe,” and is more likely to know all the political players without explanation. (Why would anybody in Montana care who the House Minority whip is?)
What do you hope audiences take away from watching the show?
First and foremost, we hope they take away a night of laughs! We want audiences to realize that political/controversial issues can be discussed without being at each others’ throats. Let’s face it, the things said by the Capitol Fools would land them in jail in countless countries around the world. But in the good old U.S. of A., we can tease, joke, and ridicule the powers that be, and through comedy, find a bit of unity in all this lunacy.
Join us for Capitol Fools on September 22 to celebrate the opening of the 2024–25 Hylton Center season with this witty performance. After all, laughter is the best medicine—especially in an election year!