If you didn’t know already that lawyers can sing and dance, the Gridiron set you straight. Despite some minor examples of forgotten-lyric syndrome, Little Rock’s lawyers displayed some serious chops.
The Pulaski County Bar Association’s biennial Gridiron gig of local and national politics, this year called “Face the Music and Dance,” took jabs at all the big names: Hillary, Bill, the McCains, the Obamas, the Huckabees and the Arkansas Times.
The scene was a dance contest at the Arkansas Governor’s mansion. Kathryn Pryor, known well in Little Rock’s musical theater circles, played Hillary Clinton with a frenzy and desperation that rivals SNL’s Amy Poehler, except that Pryor could out sing Poehler from the bottom of a well. Treeca Cotton stole the show when she appeared as pregnant-again Michelle Duggar. Carol Holiman’s eternally optimistic and sunny Ginger Beebe was a nice touch. But by far one of the best moments came when Janis Kovalscik portrayed Janet Huckabee dancing the “Kung Fu Fighting” ballet with Chuck Norris (played by Perry Young).
Don Bennett as Max Brantley showcased his great pipes as he sang about trying to “think like” Walter Hussman. Jonathan Bostick’s back-flipping version of Barack Obama was done with hysterical exuberance.
By far the best male performance was from Steve Giles as “Dubya.” His song “Seasons of War” slipped completely beyond the otherwise irreverent tone of the show and into something I can only describe as touching.
Gridiron will stage its next production in late summer 2010.