The Capitol Steps
The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. They were born in December, 1981 when some of Senator Charles Percy’s staffers were planning the entertainment for the Christmas party. Their first idea was to stage a nativity play, but in the whole Congress they couldn’t find three wise men or a virgin. So, they decided to dig into the headlines of the day and create song parodies & skits which conveyed a special brand of satirical humor.
In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom (“Don’t quit your day job!”), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.
Since they began, the Capitol Steps have recorded over 30 albums, including their latest, Take the Money and Run — for President. They’ve been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS, and can be heard 4 times a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials.
PROGRAMS
The Capitol Steps: Always Fresh and Crispy, Right From the Headlines
The Lighter Side of Politics
The Capitol Steps’ show is rip-roaring political fun. The seven-member cast is a constant transition of new costumes, props, and music. Their political satire song parodies take potshots at the outrageous goings-on in Washington. Equal opportunity satirists, they take aim at issues that are in the news right now – picking on Republicans, Democrats and anyone else who deserves it. The Steps treat audiences to such ditties as: Ain’t No Surplus Now It’s Gone, Wouldn’t It Be Hillary, The Sunni Side of Tikrit and more. The Capitol Steps are an unforgettable entertainment experience.
Full Biography
THIRTY YEARS AGO, the Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom (“Don’t quit your day job!”), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.
Since they began, the Capitol Steps have recorded over 32 albums, including their latest, Take the Money and Run for President! and their special holiday release, Barackin’ Around the Christmas Tree. They’ve been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS, and can be heard 4 times a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials.
The Capitol Steps were born in December, 1981 when some staffers for Senator Charles Percy were planning entertainment for a Christmas party. Ronald Reagan was President when the Steps began, so co-founders Elaina Newport, Bill Strauss and Jim Aidala figured that if entertainers could become politicians, then politicians could become entertainers! Their first idea was to stage a nativity play, but in the whole Congress they couldn’t find three wise men or a virgin! So, they decided to dig into the headlines of the day, and created song parodies & skits which conveyed a special brand of satirical humor that was as popular in Peoria as it was on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Most cast members have worked on Capitol Hill; some for Democrats, some for Republicans, and others for politicians who firmly straddle the fence. No matter who holds office, there’s never a shortage of material. Says Elaina Newport, “Typically the Republicans goof up, and the Democrats party. Then the Democrats goof up and the Republicans party. That’s what we call the two-party system.”
ALTHOUGH the Capitol Steps are based in Washington, DC, most of their shows are out-of-town or for out-of-town audiences, whether it’s the National Welding Supply Association, a University audience, High Schoolers, or State Legislators. In fact, the Capitol Steps have performed for the last 5 Presidents (6, if you include Hillary). The only complaints the Steps seem to get are from politicians and personalities who are not included in the program!
The material is updated constantly. Current examples include songs about Mitt Romney’s plea to the GOP (“Help Me Fake It to the Right”) and President Obama’s class warfare (“If I Tax a Rich Man”). In addition, we offer our own take on such trending topics as Secret Service indiscretions and the EU’s money woes and what to do with Greece. No matter who or what is in the headlines, you can bet the Capitol Steps will tackle both sides of the political spectrum and all things equally foolish. What more would you expect from the group that puts the “MOCK” in Democracy?!
