By Ernest Kearney – Writer/Performer Matt Lieberman and Director Aysha Wax have delivered a slick and amusing “mea culpa” that illustrates how America tumbled into the bowels of political hell while reminding us that we’re edging nearer to the chasm once again.
Lieberman was a wide-eyed innocent who, merrily skipped down the rabbit hole of alternative news and, inadvertently, provided the MAGAverse with one of the clubs used to beat Hillary and the Democrats over the head, in the 2016 election.
How I Elected a President offers insights into the dangers of alternative news sources and is a cautionary tale for the innocent but nevertheless hazardous neophytes.
Two problems hampered Lieberman’s effort here. He first focuses on his rise within the alternative realm of the internet, then follows with his fall from grace. Lost in-between is the reason for his “mea culpa” in the first place. Needed is a more detailed explanation of his “sin” and a greater expression of his own sense of guilt and responsibility. Otherwise, his “confession is reduced to an “Oops, my bad.”
The second problem I found may lie in me and not Lieberman, whose show ends with a paean to our democracy and a considerate nod to the likely candidates that will face each other in the 2024 election.
This “considerate nod” to both candidates, I’m sure was a marketing effort intended not to antagonize certain audience members. However, I shouldn’t need to explain to Mr. Lieberman that it was such “considerate nods” from the liberals of Germany that ended the Weimar Republic in 1933 and welcomed Herr Hitler into their democratic process.[1]
[1] If you think that my intention here is to compare Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler – CONGRATULATIONS!! You’re actually paying attention.
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Playing During The Hollywood Fringe Festival 2024
at
The Broadwater (Black Box)
6322 Santa Monica Blvd.
Monday June 17 2024, 6:30 PM | 1hr
Saturday June 22 2024, 11:55 PM | 1hr
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