POTUS

Vanessa Williams, Rachel Dratch, Lea DeLaria, more to star in 'POTUS' on Broadway

The comedy play, making its world premiere on Broadway, is written by Selina Fillinger and directed by Susan Stroman.

Gillian Russo
Gillian Russo

The Shubert house will transform into the White House this spring. A new play titled POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive is set to premiere at Broadway's Shubert Theatre this spring. Los Angeles-based playwright Selina Fillinger makes her Broadway debut with the show, which will play a limited engagement from April 14 to August 14. Opening night is May 9.

Five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman will direct POTUS on Broadway. She is best known for her work in musicals including The Producers, Contact, Show Boat, Crazy for You (all of which earned her Tonys for choreography and/or directing), and Anything GoesPOTUS, a political farce, marks Stroman's first time working on a Broadway play since Picnic in 1994.

The starry cast includes Tony nominee Lilli Cooper, Screen Actor's Guild Award winner Lea DeLaria, Emmy Award winner and Dancing With the Stars pro Julianne Hough, SNL star Rachel Dratch, Suzy Nakamura, Tony winner Julie White, and Tony, Grammy, and Emmy winner Vanessa Williams. Hough, Dratch, and Nakamura are making their Broadway debuts. In addition, Anita Abdinezhad, Gisela Chípe, Jennifer Fouché and Lisa Helmi Johanson have been cast as standbys.

The titular POTUS is a president who turns a public relations mishap into an international crisis, and the play centers around the women in his administration and inner circle who go to great lengths to keep him out of trouble.

"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," Stroman said in a statement.

The creative team has also been announced. POTUS features scenic design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Tony Award winner Linda Cho, lighting design by Sonoyo Nishikawa, sound design by Tony Award winner Jessica Paz, hair and wig Design by Cookie Jordan, and intimacy and fight direction by Rocio Mendez.

Check back for information on POTUS tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Originally published on

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