Theatre in Review: This is Government (59E59)

	Kleo Mitrokostas, Charles Hsu. Photo: Burdette Parks.

Talk about ripped from the headlines: It's another hot summer Monday in Washington, and in the office of Congressman Bochman, a staff assistant and two interns are wrapping up a busy day of collecting press clippings and logging phone calls from constituents. Just before quitting time, however, the office building is put on lockdown, thanks to a suspicious vehicle parked in the street. At first, it appears to be another nuisance involving a crackpot, but as the hours tick by, the word comes that the threat is real. Then it becomes clear that the perpetrator is well-known among the members of Bochman's staff.

Indeed, This is Government, a comedy-thriller with political undertones, is almost eerily current, what with the country reeling from the murder of Charlie Kirk. (As I write this, a headline has arrived in my inbox about a bomb threat at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters. Happily, it is a fake. This time.) But this initially light-hearted offering is almost too apt following the Luigi Mangione affair, the shooting of Melissa Hortman, the CDC and Park Avenue gunmen, and the two attempts on the current president. We rarely get new plays so closely attuned to the current news cycle.

Alas, before it gets down to the ugly business of today's political divisions, the first two-thirds of Nina Kissinger's play is weighed down with sitcom hijinks. You'll know what you're in for right away when the characters discuss the "Saving the Health of Americans Today Act." I'll let you figure out the acronym yourself, but they have endless fun with it, more than the audience, in fact. Other halting gags center on veganism and a novel titled The Podiatrist's Mistress. (We get that one twice.) Then there's Tip, the intern, a supposedly hilarious gay stereotype whose overdramatic manner quickly becomes grating. He's pursuing a show business career in high-concept standup, or, as he calls it, "experimental extemporaneous revelationing." When Emi, another intern, mentions Bochman's youthful prowess at lacrosse, Tip says, "It's pronounced La Croix." He positively hyperventilates at the thought that a potential terrorist would be so vulgar as to employ a red Camry as a weapon of destruction. When all else fails, he throws himself on the floor in an attitude of despair. Really, the intern shortage must be terrible these days.

Despite all this carrying on, Kissinger breezily makes points about, among other things, political games (the Congressman initially supports the health bill, then wavers over it for the sake of publicity), staffers' low status and even lower paychecks, and the absurdity of gerrymandered maps. But This is Government only fitfully comes to life with the introduction of Stevie, a lonely, aging constituent whose rambling daily phone calls have semi-endeared her to Bochman's staff. As memorably played by Susan Lynskey, she is equally nice and needling, grumbling worrisomely about Bochman while fawning over Tip and his colleagues. (Listen closely to Lynskey and you'll hear how artfully she hints at her characters' concealed fury, which is the key to the plot.) It's only when everyone realizes that she is the probable bomber that they start frantically poring through her past calls, seeking to understand her motives.

Sarah Norris' direction maintains a lively pace, which is surely the right approach, even if it occasionally relies too much on laugh lines that aren't there. She might also have toned down Charles Hsu as Tip, whose energy level leaves the others blindsided. (The clearly talented Hsu must have decided his only choice was to go big or go home.) Still, Kleo Mitrokostas is charming as Emi, his fellow intern (and high school bud), who is given to mild bouts of hysteria. (When an argument erupts, she announces, "As a child of divorce, I cannot handle being trapped in a room with two people who are not speaking to each other.") Equally likable is Vann Dukes as Kaz, their supervisor, who has an intriguing (if undeveloped) backstory as a Black, nonbinary person estranged from their family.

This production of New Light Theater Project and Pendragon Theatre is also pretty solid in terms of production values. Daniel Allen's scenic design makes the Congressman's office look rather seedier than I would imagine, but Allen may know something I don't. He also frames the action in an attractive proscenium and supplies an effective backdrop of greenery for a finale set in a cemetery. Hayley Garcia Parnell's lighting convincingly follows a day-into-night timeline. Krista Grevas' costumes seem reasonably accurate, especially when Emi, in a moment of panic, cries out, "I should not be forced to die in business casual!" Jennie Gorn's sound design is notable for the ticking clock heard during the many transitional sequences and for the kicky pre-show playlist that includes "Yes, And?" by Ariana Grande, and Chappell Roan's "Red Wine Supernova."

This is Government is at its best in the final scene, when, long after the incident is resolved, Em, Kaz, and Tip get together for a final reckoning. In only a few minutes of running time, Kissinger neatly captures the dilemma of young people who, given the values with which they have been raised, recoil at the compromises and corruption of today's political scene. At the same time, someone notes, if they don't fix it, who will? Or can it be fixed? She's onto something here, and, in her next play, she should face it directly, with considerably less (or better) gagging. --David Barbour