You're Welcome America

You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush is a comedic Broadway play written by and starring American comedian Will Ferrell as George W. Bush, which ran from February 5 to March 15, 2009.[1] The play is directed by Ferrell's long-time comedy partner, Adam McKay, who previously worked with him on his comedy films Anchorman and Talladega Nights. According to a review at The Improper.com, "Combined with lewd humor and an uncanny cast of characters to help him drive home his alter ego's West Texas mannerisms, Ferrell’s showpiece is a true delight."[2]

You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush
Poster for You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush
Written byWill Ferrell
CharactersGeorge W. Bush
Date premieredFebruary 5, 2009 (2009-02-05)
Place premieredCort Theatre
New York City
Original languageEnglish
GenreComedy

It broke the house record at the Cort Theater, taking in $846,507.05 for the week that ended on February 15, 2009.[3]

The show was broadcast live on the HBO cable channel,[2] as well as in Canada, on March 14, 2009, at 9:00PM EST.[4][5] It was released to DVD on November 3, 2009.[6]

The play is based on Ferrell's Bush impression which originated from the show Saturday Night Live. The first appearance of Ferrell's character appeared in Saturday Night Live (season 26)[7] which took place during the 2000 United States presidential election. The play carries over some qualities of Ferrell's George W. Bush character that replicates the same comedic element as seen on the popular late night show.

Plot Summary

The play starts off with President Bush (Ferrell) telling the audience that this is his final farewell to the country. He then makes jokes about his life, such as his college years at Yale, his nickname “Gin and Tonic,” being born in Connecticut, his business that went bankrupt, and the Texas law he passed that designated a day as "Jesus Day." Some of Bush's stories are humorous but false, such as having a sexual relationship with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and being AWOL from the Air National Guard. Bush's Secret Service agent Jerry dances onstage (sometimes with Bush's pilot) while Ferrell is offstage changing costume. Bush confronts a heckler in the third row, who is actually part of the cast. The play also acknowledges the hard decisions Bush faced during his term, such as deciding to send troops to the Middle East.

Type of comedy

You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush utilizes the comedic element of political satire. This type of humor is the reason the play was able to be as successful as it was. According to an article on ebscohost.com "The people have really warmed up to this type of comedy and they really enjoy it."[8]

Ferrell's success and positive feedback of his spot on Bush impression from SNL presented him with the opportunity to turn it into something more. Political satire has grown very popular in the entertainment business. Some more examples include The Daily Show and even the more recently popular show Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Significance

The play, which took place a few months after Bush left office,[9] was meant as a final farewell not only to the former president himself, but also to Ferrell's impression of the former president.

Cast


Staff

Tony Award nomination

The show was nominated for Best Special Theatrical Event at the 63rd Tony Awards, but lost to the musical revue special, Liza's at The Palace.....

DVD notes

Husband and wife performers Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates are visible in the audience. Also visible in the audience are Edward Norton, Adam Levine, Common, and Serena Williams.

References
  1. "The Comedy of Ineptitude, Political Division".
  2. "The Improper.com". Archived from the original on 2009-06-07. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  3. Patrick Healy. "You’re Welcome Broadway: Ferrell’s ‘Bush’ Breaks House Record", The New York Times, February 17, 2009
  4. Richard Ouzounian. "Will Ferrell's masterful and frightening portrayal of Bush." March 03, 2009, Toronto Star "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 2
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2009-03-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Will Ferrell: You're Welcome, America. A Final Night with George W. Bush".
  7. Saturday Night Live (12 September 2013). "First Presidential Debate: Al Gore and George W. Bush - SNL" – via YouTube.
  8. Gerson, Michael. "The Politics of Late Night Comedy". Atlantic Media Company. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  9. "George W. Bush - U.S. Presidents - HISTORY.com". HISTORY.com.
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