What is the role of the ROTUS? Keeper of cue cards to remember the music tastes and coffee orders of Washington’s VIPs? Or is it a surreptitious post for sleuthing? For Chastity Quirke, this front-facing job descends from one into the other…
After a sold-out run at Fringe, Leigh Douglas’ one woman show starts off with a whirlwind. Her obnoxious protagonist is doing a whip round of the White House, showing off in front of her Kappa Gamma Zeta sorority girls and militantly reaffirming the importance of American ‘Hotness’. The it-girl-giggling soon sharpens into a satire on the marked crop circles of cronyism. We watch Chastity dabble in manipulation, then wholeheartedly embed herself into the surrounding political fabric.
From the show’s commencement, Chastity’s smart but doleful voice was a narratorial presence, akin to Bridget Jones. Added to that, the multi-rolling worked a treat. Each character had a distinct identity, if not bloated by their caricaturist devotion to the President. A particular highlight was Candace Monroe, whose diatribe on maternity was as funny as it was sadly familiar.
Chastity’s almost deifying loyalty to President Drumpf is the golden thread of the action. We witness the laughable lengths she goes to in order to protect the main man, including some wry parallels to recent historical events. This fictional plot felt entirely possible, as it ironised the misogyny inherent in Republican politics.
There were zero props except the bag of documents, acting as a firm directorial choice: the world was clear enough without them. From bar to office to women’s toilets, Fiona Kingwill’s direction elides us gracefully from scene to scene. The show was not comedically extravagant, however. There was nothing thunderously funny, only light-heartened humour to accompany the political maelstrom occupied by this conservative Barbie.
Objectifying and sexualising self-presentation only gets Chastity so far. When she realises that the blonde white women is selected as the effigy for abuse of power, we observe this character’s self-awareness flourish. A somewhat satisfying moment, comically underscored by choral backing vocals.
ROTUS: Receptionist of the United States is on until 7th February 2026. You can find out more information here: https://parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/?post_type=event
Reviewer: Eleanor Hall
Reviewed: 21st January 2025
North West End UK Rating: