The Play's the Thing

The biggest sin of Sarah Burgess' Kings is that it's merely entertaining. You're probably wondering why that's even a sin. Of course, it's not. Lots of people go to the the theater to be entertained. I'm sure that's why Cats ran for twenty years. The problem with Kings is that it's masquerading as a deeper play when essentially everything Burgess has to say is right there on the surface. There's no there there. The whole thing is presented quite literally. The playwright highlights the fact that lobbyists are controlling American politics, that politicians can be bought for the right price, and that well, cash is king. All things we as the audience already know because we live in America in the present, where laws are made to benefit those greasing the palms of the people in power. Kings focuses on, or at least pretends to focus on, two female lobbyists, Lauren, who lobbies in finance and Kate, whose focus is healthcare, as they attempt to m...