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About The Capitol Steps
The Capitol Steps on Tour
The Capitol Steps offer welcome comic relief in the place that may need it the most: Washington, D.C. The long-standing comedy troupe has kept the nation's capital on its toes since December 1981, when a group of Senate staffers came together to lighten the mood at their annual Christmas party. Over the years, The Capitol Steps' cast has expanded, diversified and toured the country back and forth. In fact, there are now multiple casts — "the result of having large numbers of unemployed Hill staffers," as they put it. At home in Washington, they perform Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. On tour, they make stops at theaters, opera houses and other prestigious venues in cities from sea to shining sea. Expect silly skits, catchy songs, dead-on impressions and even some thought-provoking commentary, all in the name of fun — and the First Amendment, of course.
The Capitol Steps' motto says just about everything you need to know: "We put the MOCK in Democracy," the comedy team proudly proclaims. It all began in 1981 when Elaina Newport, Jim Aidala and the late Bill Strauss — three of Senator Charles Percy's staffers — put together a few skits and song parodies to share at their Christmas party. The performance was a success, and The Capitol Steps became Washington, D.C.'s go-to group for some much needed laughs. Since forming, the cast has brought on more former Capitol Hill staffers, along with many other theater and comedy veterans. They've recorded over 35 albums and have appeared on major network shows like Good Morning America, 20/20 and CNN's Inside Politics. Each year, they produce comedy specials for public radio, including "Politics Takes a Holiday," which airs every New Year's Eve and 4th of July. They've even performed for a handful of U.S. presidents. For the rest of us, The Capitol Steps share their latest comedy bits every Friday and Saturday night at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Other cast members tour the country to help us all better digest the absurdities of our current state of affairs.
This is the sixth time I have heard The Capitol Steps, and they lived up to their fabulous reputation. I laugh so hard my cheek muscles hurt. They were up to date with their material. Their imitations were right on and their voices were great. A very enjoyable experience!
We decided to attend after friends and colleagues assured us that the humor and its targets were bipartisan. This was unfortunately inaccurate in terms of both quantity and quality. There were more attacks on conservative figures and ideas than on liberal ones. Of more importance, the caricatures of conservative figures were overdone, inaccurate,mean spirited and not funny; those of liberal figures were "softballs." Less vituperative, more balance. Ad hominem attacks on Republicans could be replaced with ones like the foible driven caricatures of Democrats. On the positive side, there was more creativity and talent quality (singing), than we expected. Skits most enjoyed: American Pie/China song, North Korea, Clintons and Obama; Don't Ask/Don't Tell
Surviving the political seasons is so much easier with the cleverness of Capitol Steps. Thank you...we desperately need you!
This is a very talented group but I was underwhelmed by the perfomance. The venue made It hard to hear and much was lost. I have seen this group perform previously in Washington, D.C. in smaller venues and was totally impressed. I was eager to see them again and came away disappointed. Either this group has lost its comedic shine with its political satire or the venue was all wrong.
Wonderful show. We enjoyed every minute. Love how everyone is a target.
We have seen them before at a different venue and LOVED them. At BERGENPAC the acoustics were terrible with the sound bouncing of the walls and ceiling so that most of the parodies were unintelligible. I would see them again, but elsewhere. I would never go back to this theatre again.
This is the 3rd time we have seen Capitol Steps & loved it each time. We had to bring friends that we knew would also love it. Very talented cast. A very funny show & great night.
