There is such a plethora of Donald Trump-inspired shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year, it feels like it should almost become its own genre. From theatrical performances to musicals, there are so many mediums to dramatise the past two years of his presidency.
Unfortunately, despite its potential, this plot-line fell far short of the mark
The premise of Trump'd! sounds intruiging — transported through time to the year 2030, Donald Trump has brought society to the brink. In this dystopian future, Trump is constructing the Wall of Mexico through the fictional town of "Pleasantville" and sees the protagonist Donna gather her army in a Wizard of Oz-esque fashion.
Unfortunately, despite its potential, this plot-line fell far short of the mark, prioritising absurdism over producing a piece of sophisticated political satire, with Donald Trump speaking in an accent more akin to Austin Powers' Dr. Evil than the tangoed man in the White House.
For example, the Mexican Resistance Army of three guerilla fighters hoping to be deported back to Mexico, could be explored in subtle nuances. Perhaps this shortfall was due to the risk of not wanting to come across as racial stereotyping. However if this was the case, then the scene where Hilary Clinton smoked from a bong and rapped (and whose weed dealer was Barack Obama) was almost definitely prejudicial to the African American community.
Then there was the satirisation of ISIS as two seemingly affluent members of British society, which seemed poorly judged and just not necessary to the plot. Also it is never quite explained why Arnold Schwarzenegger has become Trump's second in command but all would have been forgiven if the actor could have at least had a decent Arnie impression in his arsenal.
The final scene was the saving grace, with a well-choreographed sequence where an armed standoff led to Arnold Schwarzenegger and one member of ISIS being fatally shot and Arnie providing the most comedic lines of the whole hour.
Trump'd! delivers some light-hearted moments of entertainment but unfortunately not enough to call this a groundbreaking piece of musical theatre.
