The Capitol Steps Are Coming to Harvard

For 33 years, the comedy troupe has performed hilarious musical parodies of pop songs that satirize American politics.

capitol steps

Photo by Mike Reyna Provided

No group combines music, comedy, and American politics quite like the Capitol Steps. The Washington, DC-based entertainment team parodies U.S. politics through popular song and dance numbers. The Steps’ slogan: “We put the mock in democracy.”

Later this month, in what has become a Thanksgiving tradition, the Capitol Steps will return to the Boston area for two shows at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre in Cambridge.

The Steps will perform their newest revue, How to Succeed in Congress Without Really Lying. The set includes songs like “Get Out Joe,” a parody of Frozen’s “Let It Go” sung by Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, and a solo from Russian president Vladimir Putin titled “Putin on the Ritz” (below).

Audiences can also look forward to satirical bits about the midterms and other current events in politics, which continue the group’s long history of entertaining audiences by combining political satire and songs.

The Capitol Steps initially formed in 1981 and comprised mostly congressional staffers, but is now made up of professional actors, musicians, and comedians. For 33 seasons, the group has performed regularly in D.C. and also toured the country, amusing audiences everywhere with their hysterical takes on U.S. politics.

Fans can even buy albums of their work—they’ve made nearly 40 over the years, with 17 readily available on iTunes—so if you enjoy How to Succeed in Congress Without Really Lying, you can also check out previous years’ collections, such as 2013’s Fiscal Shades of Gray, featuring Mitt Romney’s favorite, “Binders Full of Women.”

 

$30+, Saturday, November 29, shows at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre in Memorial Hall, Harvard University, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge. Tickets at boxoffice.harvard.edu. Learn more about the Capitol Steps at capsteps.com.