The Capitol Steps are a troupe of Congressional staffers-turned-comedians
who travel the country satirizing the very people and places that once employed
them. The Steps perform over 500 shows a year all over the country, covering
territory from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon.
Since they began, the Capitol Steps have recorded 21 albums, including their
latest, "One Bush, Two Bush, Old Bush, New Bush." They've been featured on
three national PBS specials, NBC, CBS ABC and can be heard four times a year on
National Public Radio stations nationwide during their "Politics Takes a
Holiday" radio specials.
The Capitol Steps were born in December 1981 when three staffers for Senator
Charles Percy were planning entertainment for a Christmas party. Their first
idea was to stage a nativity play, but in the whole Congress they couldn't find
three wise men or a virgin! So, they decided to dig into the headlines of the
day and created song parodies and skits which conveyed a special brand of
satirical humor that was as popular in Peoria as it was on Pennsylvania
Avenue.
Ronald Reagan was President when the Steps began, so co-founders Elaina
Newport, Bill Strauss and Jim Aidala figured that if entertainers could become
politicians, the politicians could become entertainers! Since then, the Steps
have had over 4,500 performances in 48 states. The group now has 22 cast
members, 5 of whom are on stage for any one show.
Most cast members have worked on Capitol Hill; some for Democrats, some for
Republicans, and others for politicians who firmly straddle the fence. No
matter who holds office, there's never a shortage of material. Says Elaina
Newport; "Typically the Republicans goof up, and the Democrats party. Then the
Democrats goof up and the Republicans party. That's what we call the two-party
system."
Although the Capitol Steps are based in Washington, D.C., most of their
shows are out of town or for out of town audiences. Whether it's the National
Welding Supply Association, a university audience, high schoolers, or state
legislators, people love to laugh at the foibles of public figures like Jerry
Falwell ("Loonies of the Right") or Bill Clintons new office ("In the Ghetto"),
or hear them pay tribute to Mayor Rudy Guiliani ("The Rudy is a Champ").
In fact, the Capitol Steps have performed for the last five Presidents (six
if you include Hillary). The only complaints the Steps seem to get are from the
politicians and personalities who are not in the program!
