You're Welcome America

Plot Summary

The play starts off with President Bush (Ferrell) telling the audience that this is his final farewell to the country. He then makes jokes about his life, such as his college years at Yale, his nickname “Gin and Tonic,” being born in Connecticut, his business that went bankrupt, and the Texas law he passed that designated a day as "Jesus Day." Some of Bush's stories are humorous but false, such as having a sexual relationship with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and being AWOL from the Air National Guard. Bush's Secret Service agent Jerry dances onstage (sometimes with Bush's pilot) while Ferrell is offstage changing costume. Bush confronts a heckler in the third row, who is actually part of the cast. The play also acknowledges the hard decisions Bush faced during his term, such as deciding to send troops to the Middle East.

Type of comedy

You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush utilizes the comedic element of political satire. This type of humor is the reason the play was able to be as successful as it was. According to an article on ebscohost.com "The people have really warmed up to this type of comedy and they really enjoy it."[1]

Ferrell's success and positive feedback of his spot on Bush impression from SNL presented him with the opportunity to turn it into something more. Political satire has grown very popular in the entertainment business. Some more examples include The Daily Show and even the more recently popular show Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Significance

The play, which took place a few months after Bush left office,[2] was meant as a final farewell not only to the former president himself, but also to Ferrell's impression of the former president.

Cast


Staff

Tony Award nomination

The show was nominated for Best Special Theatrical Event at the 63rd Tony Awards, but lost to the musical revue special, Liza's at The Palace.....

DVD notes

Husband and wife performers Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates are visible in the audience. Also visible in the audience are Edward Norton, Adam Levine, Common, and Serena Williams.

References
  1. Gerson, Michael. "The Politics of Late Night Comedy". EbscoHost. Atlantic Media Company. Retrieved 5/8/2018. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  2. "George W. Bush - U.S. Presidents - HISTORY.com". HISTORY.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.