"It's a light-hearted look at a serious subject, with a not-so-subtle take-away...vote!'" - CBS Evening News, Jan. 1, 2008
SYNOPSIS
When an Iowa farmer and his family become the darlings of the national media because they represent the "typical Iowa caucus-goers," the major presidential candidates realize they must do anything to win their votes! As the stakes become higher, the family becomes more fractured and the candidates become more desperate...until a very chaotic gathering provides a moment of clarity for everyone. If you've spent any time in Iowa during "caucus season," you'll recognize and laugh along with all of these colorful characters and the hilarious situations in which they find themselves!
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CHARACTERS
SCENES & SONGS
ACT I Scene 1: On the campaign trail, the year preceding a presidential election year. Song #1: “I DECLARE!” – Tate, Halliday, Jensen, Goldman, Mavis Scene 2: A café in a small Iowa town, August in a year preceding a presidential election year. Song #2: “ANYTHING FOR A VOTE” – Eldon, Mavis, Marlon Song #3: “HALLIDAY, GOLDMAN, JENSEN, TATE” – Eldon Scene 3: The dining room of Eldon’s farmhouse, immediately following, later that same day. Song #4: “ONE HAPPY FAMILY” – Eldon, Kathleen, Justin, Kristin Scene 4: The café, the following October. Scene 5: A hotel room on the campaign trail, the following November. Song #5: “IT’S TIME TO GO TO IOWA” – Tate, Jensen, Goldman, Halliday, Campaign Managers Scene 6: The café, several weeks later. Scene 7: On the campaign trail, immediately following. Song #6: “I NEED THAT MAN” – Tate, Halliday, Jensen, Goldman Scene 8: The dining room of Eldon’s farmhouse, Christmas day. Song #7: “HALLIDAY, GOLDMAN, JENSEN, TATE (REPRISE)” – Eldon, Kathleen, Justin, Kristin, Lori, Ensemble ACT II Scene 1: The café, the day after Christmas. Song #8: “ONE HAPPY FAMILY (REPRISE)” – Eldon, Marlon Scene 2: On the campaign trail, in the days before the caucuses. Song #9: “TOUGH QUESTION SIDESTEP” – Halliday, Goldman, Jensen, Tate, Campaign Managers Scene 3: The dining room of Eldon’s farmhouse, the night before the caucuses. Scene 4: The café, immediately following. Song #10: “WHAT I WANT” – Eldon, Littlebear, Ensemble Song #11: “GOODBYE, GOOD LUCK, GOOD RIDDANCE” – Eldon, Ensemble Song #12: “GET OFF YOUR SORRY ASS AND VOTE” – Ensemble
PLAYWRIGHT'S NOTES
When I was writing the first version of these notes in January 2004, I was also simultaneously listening to the final Democratic presidential debate prior to the Iowa caucuses. I was doing so partially with the hope that the candidates would provide some nuggets of wisdom or humor that I could incorporate into my play, but mainly I tuned in because, like Eldon Wise, the main character of CAUCUS!, I found myself still undecided as that important day drew near. And caucus day in Iowa is, indeed, a very important day. It is the first, and arguably the most influential test in each presidential election year. Although critics are quick to point out that Iowa’s role in the process is far too great and that its demographics are unrepresentative of the nation as a whole, political pundits generally agree that a finish below third place in Iowa essentially ends a presidential campaign. And you can be very sure this is at the forefront of the minds of every candidate in the race. Because the stakes are so high, the political season in Iowa is long and, for lack of a better word, “eventful.” For months, Iowans are bombarded with television commercials, phone calls, mailings, internet blasts, unique political gatherings and almost daily candidate visits. Iowans have become accustomed to having future Presidents of the United States serve them pancakes, plow their corn fields, and attend their children’s little league games. And isn’t that the way it should be? It’s a fabulous, and at times surreal, spectacle…one that I’ve thought for many years deserved to be reflected on the stage (although I only started writing CAUCUS! in mid-December 2003 upon returning to Iowa). And while politics is oftentimes dramatic, a play about the circus-like Iowa caucuses simply had to be a musical comedy. Like SIX-ON-SIX, my first musical to center around a longstanding Iowa tradition, CAUCUS! is not a historically-factual documentary-style account of the subject; rather, it is a character-driven story that uses an actual event as its backdrop. The current version of the play is set in the present, when both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations are up for grabs. As you read CAUCUS!, you may be tempted to try to match up the fictional candidates of the play with the very real candidates of recent years. Resist that temptation. While the play does, in fact, feature a lame-duck war-loving Republican president, it is not meant to be entirely George W. Bush. And while numerous Democratic and Republican candidates are mentioned, they are composites of dozens of politicians and personalities of the present and the past and are not meant to parody any present or future presidential hopefuls. A play about a specific year or actual candidates would give it a shelf life of about two weeks (and possibly subject me to charges of libel) – instead, CAUCUS! will remain timely for years, and particularly in election years. All good musical comedies have at least one buffoon; CAUCUS! features four – the candidates. If I were a playwright with no Iowa roots, I may have been inclined to portray the rural Iowans as the fools, but I know for a fact that, more often than not, the caucus-goers come off looking more intelligent and informed than many of the politicians. So, as you discover how the candidates vie for Eldon’s support, you’ll see them become more absurd while Eldon lives up to his last name. The play is structured in a way that makes it fairly predictable which candidate Eldon will ultimately select, but it’s the process that’s interesting more so than the result. You don’t have to be an Iowan to enjoy CAUCUS!, but certainly anyone who has been in the state during “caucus season” – residents, campaign workers, members of the press, and even the candidates themselves – will better recognize and laugh along with many of the characters and situations. If nothing else, I hope it shows one person can make a difference and inspires more citizens to participate in the political process. Robert John Ford |
