On November 7, Marc Bailin and Nancy Holson went to bed thinking Hillary Clinton would be the next President of the United States.
On November 8, something unexpected happened.
When the couple woke up on November 9, their world had changed.
On January 21 they took part in the Women’s March in New York, not far from their Bleecker Street apartment.
Marc Bailin and Nancy Holson
But Marc — a 1970 Staples High School graduate (where he sang with Orphenians, and played bass and sang with Smoke; he’s now a noted entertainment lawyer — and Nancy (a longtime Westporter and Emmy Award-winning writer, director and producer, best known here for her “News in Revue” political satire that highlighted many First Night celebrations) believed they had to do more than march.
When Nancy saw Jim Russek — with whom she’d collaborated on “Bush Wars,” an anti-George W. show that ran off-Broadway a decade ago — a light bulb clicked.
Normally, it takes at least a year to stage a New York show.
“Me the People” went from germ of an idea to the stage in just 3 months.
It includes Trump’s crony cabinet, White House grifters Ivanka and Jared, the Supreme Court, Russia, Mar-a-Lago, Korea, Russia, climate change, Russia — and a literal shredding of the Constitution.
The website calls the show “a wake of sorts … a joyous celebration that helps endure the loss of a loved one … (it) is our way to endure the tragedy of a Trump presidency; a musical that laughs and sings about the loss of the America we love.”
That’s not fake news!
The Supremes — okay, the Supreme Court — sing “Stop!” (Photo copyright Steven Schwartz)
“Me the People” has settled in at the Triad Theater for an open-ended run. “We hope to be there until Trump is impeached,” Bailin says.
But he’s realistic about the audience.
“We’re not preaching to the choir. We are the choir,” the former Orphenian says.
“We’re not going to change any minds. We’re just giving people who think like us a chance to laugh for 90 minutes.”
But, he notes, a friend from Cedar Point Yacht Club — where Bailin sails every Wednesday — had seen the show the night before.
“I haven’t heard back from him yet,” Bailin says.
Sad!
(For more information — including tickets — click here.)
