Clearly if there’s one thing MSNBC's Morning Joe loves, it’s political theater. But on Thursday, they took time away from the latest January 6 soap opera to focus on the capital of drama: Broadway.
The iconic drama-queen epicenter in NYC came out with a new Broadway musical called POTUS! And cast members Rachael Dratch and Julie White talked about it with co-host Mika Brzezinski, throwing real politics into the conversation. Cue the eye-rolling.
Brzezinski was clearly into the musical’s ideas and the all-women cast, exclaiming: “We got to get people in there.” However, her next statement took a more annoying approach: “I was just thinking, like, probably sitting in the audience, as a woman, it would feel so validating.” What is so “validating” about sitting through a musical? Wouldn’t women be more focused on the plot of the actual storytelling they paid to go see?
Rachael Dratch, former SNL member most known for playing Debbie Downer, responded to Brzezinski’s statement, “'the pandemic is over and I'm so happy to be out.’”
Dratch then added that “as things started unfolding politically and what it is like to be a woman right now in this country, the whole thing kind of morphed and it feels like this like, “lady power!”’ She was obviously referring to the latest SCOTUS decision on abortion as part of an “oppressive war on women.”
The curtain didn’t close on this ridiculous scene just yet. Julie White added how Hillary Clinton came to one of the shows (click “expand”):
WHITE: And when Mrs. Clinton was there, there is a line in the play where Vanessa Williams who plays the first lady says that someone asked her “why aren't you president?” And she says “that is the eternal question, isn’t it,” and the audience literally in the middle of the show rose to their feet, turned towards Hillary and applauded her for –
BRZEZINSKI: Oh my God that is amazing.
WHITE: Like for over a minute, which is a long time in the theater.
The left always goes after the GOP for never letting go of the past regarding Donald Trump and the 2020 elections. And yet, they can’t get over the fact that Hillary lost a presidential election from six years ago. If they are still lamenting over this dramatic loss, why not write a musical about it?
Way Too Early host and White House bureau chief at Politico Jonathan Lemire attempted to play a serious acting role when asking his question. He began with “let's end on a little more serious note,” getting into the overturning of Roe v. Wade:
Obviously there is a lot of political narratives right now in the real world and it’s particularly the Supreme Court's decision about Roe v. Wade that has put a little spotlight on women of course around this country. Are you finding what you’re doing night after night is resonating that much more with the audience in the light of current events?
“Yes, terrifically so,” answered White. She then mentioned that a character in the play “does say something about safe reproductive health care as a basic human right.” Hold on a minute, isn’t the right to live also a “basic human right?” White praised the arts for being “a place to express these things.”
The arts are definitely a place to express things. Normally, it'd be to express oneself and tell a story. But instead, they're now things that promote leftist dystopian values and hating the GOP. No wonder lefties love Broadway! The dramatic ridiculousness and hypocrisy expressed here was so comical that it deserved a Tony Award.
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Click "expand" to see the full transcript.
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
July 14, 2022
8:52:57 a.m. Eastern(…)
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Oh, my gosh.
JULIE WHITE: Yeah.
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, we got to get people in there. And Rachel, you know-- she was talking-- Julia about this being cathartic. I was just thinking, like, probably sitting in the audience, as a woman, it would feel so validating.
RACHAEL DRATCH: Yeah, well when we started in April, with previews like, even then at first people were laughing, this kind of rapid laughter, because you could feel like, “oh, the pandemic is over and I'm so happy to be out,” and that type of laugh. But then as things started unfolding politically and what it is like to be a woman right now in this country, the whole thing kind of morphed and it feels like this like, “lady power!” Like I can’t even explain it—
WHITE: Oh my God.
BRZEZINSKI: I love it.
DRATCH: I mean guys are liking it too. It’s not like--
WHITE: And when Mrs. Clinton was there, there is a line in the play where Vanessa Williams who plays the first lady says that someone asked her “why aren't you president?” And she says “that is the eternal question, isn’t it,” and the audience literally in the middle of the show rose to their feet, turned towards Hillary and applauded her for –
BRZEZINSKI: Oh my God that is amazing.
WHITE: Like for over a minute, which is a long time in the theater.
BRZEZINSKI: [exclaims in pure awe]
DRATCH: But also—
WILLIE GIEST: That is amazing.
DRATCH: -- also the—the POTUS that is referred to this, you never see the president and it is not a certain president it’s sort of like an amalgamation of you know, a bunch of past presidents. So, it doesn't really – you know, some people are like “is this Trump?” It is not Trump. It is not red or blue. It is just like, women trying to make it in this political atmosphere.
…
8:55:27 a.m.
JONATHAN LEMIRE: So Julie, as someone who covered a couple of White Houses now, I’ll say the farce element sounds a little bit more like the Trump one than the current one but let's end on a little more serious note.
Obviously there is a lot of political narratives right now in the real world and it’s particularly the Supreme Court's decision about Roe v. Wade that has put a little spotlight on women of course around this country. Are you finding what you’re doing night after night is resonating that much more with the audience in the light of current events?
WHITE: Yes, terrifically so. There’s also a moment in the play where a young character that you would not think, does say something about safe reproductive health care as a basic human right. And it was initially sort of a throwaway, but now I mean, after Roe went down, people stood up. It reminds me of you showing Selena Myers, that character on Veep, she said “if men could get pregnant you could get an abortion at an ATM.”
So -- the arts often does help us have a place to express these things. And we'll be okay, we've just got to keep fighting.
(…)
