Comedy troupe The Capitol Steps returns to Durango on Oct. 5
Community Concert Hall welcomes team that puts “the mock in democracy”
Durango, CO – Bringing a new show, “What to Expect When You’re Electing,” The Capitol Steps, the only comedy troupe in America that attempts to be funnier than the United States Congress, returns to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2016, 7:30 p.m. Limited tickets remain.
By all accounts, the troupe, even after 35 years, is “as sharp as ever.” Conceived in 1981, The Capitol Steps was founded originally by a group of current and former Congressional staffers during Ronald Reagan’s administration. Co-founders Elaina Newport, Bill Strauss and Jim Aidala were charged with planning entertainment for Sen. Charles Percy’s holiday party. As the story goes, the first idea was to stage a nativity play, but searching the entire Congress, they couldn’t find three wise men or a virgin. (Pa-dum-bump.)
The trio then dug into the headlines of the day, creating the song parodies and skits that have since come to trademark The Steps’ unique brand of humor. The logic at the time of Reagan was, if entertainers could become politicians, then politicians could become entertainers.
The Capitol Steps has recorded more than 30 albums, including the latest, What to Expect When You’re Electing. Members of the troupe have been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC and PBS, and can be heard four times annually on National Public Radio stations nationwide during the Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials.
As a comedy troupe, The Capitol Steps continues to put “the mock in Democracy.” No political party or national personality is protected from (or preferred in) The Steps’ satire. The troupe continually changes its repertoire to keep “PC” or Politically Current. The Capitol Steps is far from Politically Correct.
As Humorist P.J. O’Rourke noted, “The Capitol Steps are what Washington would be like if everyone were smarter and could sing.”
View a sampling of live Capitol Steps vignettes at www.youtube.com/user/CapitolSteps.
Tickets for The Capitol Steps ($34-$44) are available on-line at www.durangoconcerts.com, or call 970.247.7657, or visit the Ticket Office inside the Durango Welcome Center at 8th St. and Main Ave., Downtown Durango. Ticket Office hours are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. All sales final.
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary Season in 2016-2017, the Community Concert Hall is a not-for-profit, multi-use performance venue located on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Its ability to bring a diverse spectrum of shows to Southwest Colorado is made possible through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, and through financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.
