#cranwell

Prince William delivers a speech as he attends the Sovereign's Parade on behalf of King Charles III at the Royal Air Force College in Cranwell on 12 September 2024 in Sleaford, England.

The parade will feature 48 Royal Air Force cadets and 4 international officer cadets from Jordan, Kenya, Pakistan, and Uganda, graduating from the commissioned warrant officers course and modular initial officer training.

A Royal Recycling (part 189)

REVIEW: “The Lyin’ Kings” Capitol Steps at Cranwell Resort

by Fred Baumgarten In this era of social media and spoofy news shows – John Oliver, Trevor Noah, Saturday Night Live, the Onion, Andy Borowitz, etc. – when political jokes travel the world faster than you can say “Trump,” how does a musical revue that “puts the mock in democracy” keep it up after nearly four decades? For the Capitol Steps, the answer is: Just fine, thank you. Their latest show,…

Rev. Charles Allen, S.J.

Fairfield University Chaplain and Special Assistant to the President

It was the spring of 1966 and I had just completed my studies in philosophy at Weston College. Along with a group of my classmates, led by Mr. John Reboli, S.J., a Fairfield University graduate, we set out to see the world beginning with Fairfield. I still remember my first walk across the campus on that beautiful June afternoon. What a great arboretum! I thought to myself, but where are the school buildings?

We stayed in Gonzaga Hall with a group of Jesuits – Bellarmine Hall was far too small to hold the 70 or so members of the Jesuit community. We had a wonderful time, visiting NY City to see The Man from La Mancha and dining at the Three Bears Restaurant in Westport. At the end of that wonderful week, I set out for The Cranwell School in Lenox, Massachusetts where I would teach Math and live in a residence hall for the next three years.

In 1969, I moved to Providence, Rhode Island to study Math for a Master’s Degree at Brown University. It was then off to Rome for three years of Theology at the Gregorian University. And finally back to Cranwell to teach Math and Theology. When Cranwell closed in 1975, I decided to get another Master’s Degree at the Teacher’s College in New York City.

Degree in hand, I was assigned at the request of the principal, Fr. Jim Bowler, S.J., to teach Math at Fairfield Prep. I also asked the president, Fr. Fitzgerald, S.J. if I could live in a prefect’s room on Campion III. I remember Fr. Fitzgerald asking me if I would mind living on a women’s corridor. “No” I quickly responded with great enthusiasm. This would be one of the best years of my life.

The rest is history. In 1982 I left Fairfield to complete Tertianship in the Philippines. When I returned I was sent to BC High. At the end of the second year there and at the request of Fr. Kelley, S.J., I was asked to return to Fairfield Prep as the headmaster. After four years, he said that it was my time to go, and so I headed off to BC for a five year stretch in the Admission Office which I loved.

Then came another call from Fr. Kelley asking me to return to Fairfield as his executive assistant and here I am to this day. Now, after a number of falls and some heart work, I am going back to Campion Center (aka Weston College) where I started out some forty + years ago.

In this era of social media and spoofy news shows – John Oliver, Trevor Noah, Saturday Night Live, the Onion, Andy Borowitz, etc. – when political jokes travel the world faster than you can say “Trump,” how does a musical revue that “puts the mock in democracy” keep it up after nearly four decades?

For the Capitol Steps, the answer is: Just fine, thank you.

Their latest show, “The Lyin’ Kings,” was performed in the Harvest Barn at Cranwell Resort by a cast more than up to the challenge, and had the audience roaring with laughter (pun intended).

The speed with which the troupe could adapt and create new skits and lyrics – always set to well-known pop tunes – rivaled the speed of the internet. Amazingly, I counted only one number performed from the printed program. Just days after the two initial Democratic presidential debates, the full – nay, overstuffed – gallery of candidates was on display, aided by what must be the world’s largest collection or wigs, not to mention a wicked knack for finding the rhyme.

Except for one candidate, alas: Billy Joel’s “For the Longest Time” was set to lyrics lamenting that “Pete Buttigieg is the hardest rhyme.”

Mixing old and new is part of the Steps’ charm. In a wide-ranging conversation after the show, the group admitted to me that they had used that trope before with former congressman Dan Rostenkowski – for those old enough to remember that name. References to everything from Seinfeld to George Hamilton’s tan were sprinkled throughout.

To Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Modern Major General,” a sprightly AOC sang “I am the very model of a modern major liberal.” The current Vice President was lauded by the religious right in a number called “Pence Is from Heaven” (“Pennies from Heaven”). Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence” became “Sound of Sanders” (“Hello voters, my old friends….”).

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The Steps’ Mike Thornton did an Alec Baldwin-level Trump impersonation and also had some of the night’s best zingers. As Joe Biden, he promised that the most important lesson he learned is that “harass is not two words.” Thornton also had a couple of hilarious stand-up bits, the best being toward the end of the show when he executed the Steps’ signature speech of spoonerisms in an extended monologue. He made sure to cover “Tronald Dump” and all the “Hemocratic Dopefuls.” The rest I’ll leave spoiler-free (or foiler-spree).

Perhaps the highlight of the night was a rendition of “Stayin’ Alive” performed by RBG and Stephen Breyer, and their younger SCOTUS colleagues Elena Kagan and Sonya Sotomayor. Think of it as a fervent prayer of liberals, a la disco. Push-ups may or may not have been involved.

Cast members Thornton, Morgan Duncan, Janet Davidson Gordon, Bari Biern, and Evan Casey gave it their all, and Howard Breitbart provided brisk and flawless accompaniment on electric piano. The two women, like many other Capitol Steps players, had careers on the Hill before joining the troupe, although that is no longer a requirement as it once was.

In all, the company has almost two dozen players and can field up to three shows simultaneously in different locations, each with a cast of five. It worried me going in that such a factory model of success might sap the soul of the performers; I won’t say that there weren’t one or two moments when the show’s energy flagged a bit. But by the end of the night, the Capitol Steps rose to the occasion, and the audience, this member included, left thoroughly entertained.

THE CAPITOL STEPS will be appearing regularly at Cranwell Resort in Lenox, Mass., nightly except Tuesdays at 8 pm through August 30. Tickets may be purchased online at www.capsteps.com or by calling 800-272-6935.

The Capitol Steps present THE LYIN’ KINGS, with lyrics by Elaina Newport, Mark Eaton, and the cast. Cast: Morgan Duncan, Janet Davidson Gordon, Bari Biern, Mike Thornton, and Evan Casey. Accompaniment: Howard Breitbart.

Running Time: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes, no intermission. Cranwell Resort, 55 Lee Road, Lenox. From June 30; closing Aug. 30.