Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Steppenwolf Theatre Company is one of the first out of the regional gate with this title, directed here by co-artistic director Audrey Francis in an earnest if uneven staging that’s cast and directed very differently from Broadway. (That original New York production was directed by Susan Stroman.)"
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...As quickly paced as the 24-hour news cycle, and as raunchy as a bachelorette party on Weed Street, Steppenwolf Theatre’s “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” goes straight for the jugular from the first line of the show. Chock-full of witty zingers, this satirical romp through the sewer of sexism in the White House is good, filthy fun."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"..."POTUS: or, Behind Every Great (expletive) are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive" commenced with an unprintable word that likely shocked some Steppenwolf Theatre audience members attending Sunday's opening of Selina Fillinger's ferociously funny, expletive-laden political farce."
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Fillinger’s play pointedly doesn’t tell us which party is in power, and I think that’s smart. It’s not as if women in politics get a lot more respect when Dems are in power. Though it’s not her boss’s fault, Vice President Kamala Harris has been subjected to a raft of baseless criticism about her “invisibility.” Even though she’s quite clearly been front and center on a number of issues. Even though the press corps making those claims didn’t have squat to say about her most recent male predecessor, who will be remembered primarily for endorsing the guy whose supporters wanted to hang him on January 6, and for providing a landing platform for a fly during a nationally televised debate."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Recommended
"...Potus, a farce by Selina Fillinger, is one of the most engaging, enthralling, and hilarious productions Steppenwolf has provided in years. Asking the eternal question, why isn't a woman the President, POTUS tells with gender-based power imbalances in American politics and society at large. Fillinger's genuine in this production is that although the play centers around the President, you never see or know which President this play references. Still, many in the audience during the night we were there were whispering that the dim-witted man in the office was Trump, which is no surprise, considering all of his recent issues."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...We all know the old saying, “politics makes strange bedfellows” and we have all been witness to some comical moments in political history during the last, let’s say 6 or so years, so how about a comical play that will take your mind off the real thing, and allow you to laugh for an hour and forty-five minutes? Steppenwolf Theatre is currently running the Chicago Premiere of “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” on their Downstairs stage. Written by Selina Fillinger, this farce should tickle your funny bone. I must say that even Jane, who doesn’t do regular plays for the most part, was hysterical at moments and as we walked to our car said “Thanks for a fun show”."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...POTUS, Selina Fillinger’s raucous and incredibly funny but deadly serious black comedy, is about abcesses — the corporeal kind, and, less explicitly stated but more importantly, the moral variety. The President’s extra-marital, back-door sexual predilections result in not only a pregnant mistress and a throbbing ache in his fundament, but a royally pissed-off First Lady (he calls her the ‘c’ word at a press conference) and several diplomatic disasters with Bahrain, France, some elderly veterans, and a feminist organization called FML."
Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended
"...We all have tough days at work, but when your job is in the Oval Office, a bad day at work could be trouble for the entire country. In Steppenwolf’s regional premiere of ‘POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive’ by Selina Fillinger, an all-star female cast brings comedy and hijinks to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...The best part of POTUS is seeing this terrific ensemble together on stage. A fierce Celeste Cooper and hilariously resigned Karen Aldridge round out the all-female crew. I had been excited to see this show since the cast announcement. And although it didn't quite live up to my great expectations, there is no denying it, POTUS is fun! In fact, at my performance hearty laughter repeatedly kept me from hearing the next line."
Third Coast Review - Recommended
"...POTUS is ostensibly a play about the President of the United States, in which the President never appears (well, perhaps a glimpse). Instead, the story takes a backstage view, told by his highly accomplished all-female White House staff doing their best to keep him out of trouble and save the world. Is the President a Republican or a Democrat? It’s never clear. The titular POTUS may or may not be a President whose name we might remember. The full title of the play makes its purpose clear: POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...POTUS is a true farce, and you'll laugh your head off-in fact, I think it might be the best show in town right now-but it is grounded in truths that ought to shock all audience members...but won't. Just this week, we've seen Congress nearly erupt into fistfights more than once and a finding of serious misconduct against one member (known for outright lying to the public) that may lead to his expulsion. And that isn't even counting the former POTUS who continues to add to a constantly growing legacy of manipulation that includes 91 felony charges against him and yet somehow still leads the polls for next year's race."
Chicago Culture Authority - Somewhat Recommended
"...after a chaotic but genuinely hilarious first act, the narrative wheels come flying off, leaving POTUS to sink up to its axels under the weight of utterly implausible scenarios that lack internal logic and a nearly unintelligible plot that ends with a bimbo massage artist captivating feminist leaders at a White House policy dinner by stripping on stage while a member of the president’s staff burns an American flag just outside the function room. These beats are neither dramatically earned nor comedically coherent. In fairness, such issues did not appear to bother the boisterous audience happily going along for the ride (including the discerning young lady who attended the performance with me), and the show will doubtless have many fans."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Theater goers laughed out loud as the play unfolded, starting as a PR debacle at the White House and quickly becoming so much more. Written by Selina Fillinger and directed by Artistic Director Audrey Francis, this comedy follows the man in charge’s chief of staff, press secretary, wife, mistress, sister, a head journalist and secretary as they navigate their personal and work lives amidst the repercussions of the president’s numerous idiotic choices."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The very end of the play takes an anomalous pedantic turn as the women set the American flag on fire. The comedy of “POTUS” is itself subversive. Burning the flag risks subverting what the carefully choreographed farce accomplishes. The comedy, however, is as durable as a slapstick star and “POTUS” is a show to fall for."
