The Capitol Steps find humor in politics

By CODY EWERS
cewers@record-eagle.com

July 03, 2009 07:20 am

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INTERLOCHEN -- Everyone loves a good-hearted crack on the boss at the office's Christmas party, but for former Washington staffer Elaina Newport the laughs she drew from one party took her away from politics in the traditional sense.

Newport is a co-founder of the popular parody troupe Capitol Steps that trounces the country poking fun at political idiosyncrasies.

"It started at a Christmas party in 1981 and we figured it'd be a one-time thing and somebody would tell us to stop," Newport said. "But nobody told us to stop, so 28 years later we're still performing."

The Capitol Steps will perform in Corson Auditorium at the Interlochen Center for the Arts tonight at 5 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $30.50 and can be purchased at www.interlochen.org or by calling the box office at 276-7800.

Newport and her band of ex-politicos used to work for a senator in Washington and were charged with coordinating the entertainment for their office Christmas party when they thought to make light of a few of the most pressing political issues through song.

Soon after, the Capitol Steps found themselves traveling the country with their act and landed in Ann Arbor, performing annually for the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. They decided to add one other show in Michigan and, thus began their traditional Fourth of July performance at the Interlochen.

"It's a great crowd," said Newport of past Interlochen audiences. "In D.C. we do a lot of corporate events and those are fun, but we really like getting out and doing a public show where everyone has paid for their ticket and wants to be there."

Newport said the best thing about performing is when she connects with a crowd about an issue they all thought was ridiculous.

"The moment when both of you realized you've noticed something kind of silly and everybody agrees that this is something to laugh at," Newport said. "That's my favorite part."

The Capitol Steps will be performing songs off their newest CD "Obama Mia" which parodies the media's infatuation with President Barack Obama.

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