Phoenix theaters take on the Donald Trump phenomenon
Donald Trump’s proclamations that the presidential election is being “rigged” aren’t backed up by any, you know, facts. But one thing is certainly true: The GOP’s nominee is taking a beating in popular culture.
In addition to “Saturday Night Live” and Michael Moore’s surprise documentary “TrumpLand,” the dogpile is getting down to the local level with a pair of stage performances taking on the Donald: Stray Cat Theatre’s “The Trump Card” and New Carpa Theater’s “American Pastorela: The Trumpifornication Tour,” both opening less than two weeks before Election Day.
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“The Trump Card” is a solo show written by monologue artist Mike Daisey. It will be performed by Stray Cat founder Ron May, who starred in Daisey’s “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” for Actors Theatre four years ago.
May says the show is more than just an anti-Trump screed. Instead, Daisey examines the Trump phenomenon as a reflection of the culture at large.
“He started writing it even before Trump decided to run, and he wanted to do it just because Trump was a fascinating figure," May says. “It’s certainly not pro-Trump, but he talks how even if you’re not voting for Trump, here’s how this guy got where he got, and how everybody is complicit in it, people on the left, people on the right. …
“It weirdly plays more like stand-up than ‘Agony’ did,” he adds. “It’s a lot funnier.”
Latino troupe New Carpa’s contribution to the Trump conversation is the latest version of company founder James Garcia’s “American Pastorela” series, which in the past has taken on the likes of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Pastorelas are Mexican Christmas pageants that tell the story of the shepherd following the Star of Bethlehem to the Christ child. But like other politically minded Chicano theaters, Garcia’s company turns this tradition into satire. His latest sequel follows a family’s journey from Mexico through the Sonoran Desert to Phoenix, where they plan to vote on Nov. 8, aka Taco Tuesday.
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“Fortunately for them, they all got amnesty under Reagan, so they’re all U.S. citizens,” Garcia says.
Along the way, they meet political figures including John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Melania Trump. As for the “Trumpifornication” title: You can also expect a Red Hot Chili Peppers parody.
“It’s a play that looks at Trump and his candidacy and the absurdity of everything he's about and uses it as fodder for satire not very different from ‘Saturday Night Live,’” Garcia says.
Reach the reporter at kerry.lengel@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4896. Follow him at facebook.com/LengelOnTheater and twitter.com/KerryLengel.
New Carpa Theater Company: ‘American Pastorela: The Trumpifornication Tour’
When: Thursday, Oct. 27, through Sunday, Nov. 6.
Where: Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center, 1333 E. Washington St., Phoenix.
Admission: $20.
Details: 623-252-2772, newcarpa.org.
Stray Cat Theatre: ‘The Trump Card’
When: Friday, Oct. 28, through Sunday, Nov. 6.
Where: Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway.
Admission: $20-$25.
Details: 480-227-1766, straycattheatre.org.
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