1 day Ago By Haley Baker, Contributing Writer
The current political state of our country is filled with turmoil and strife. This especially reigns true with the recent results of the United States presidential election, causing severe polarization across party lines. In response to this tense atmosphere, “The Washington Roast” provides audience members with a much-needed opportunity to escape from political seriousness, offering a lighthearted, friendly atmosphere through comedic roasts.
On Nov. 2, “The Washington Roast” recently made its Times Square debut at Bond 45, directly across from the Richard Rodgers Theatre where “Hamilton” plays on Broadway. The DCist describes the show as “[‘Saturday Night Live’] on steroids,” and for good reason.
The show follows an unconventional tournament-style format, where comedians impersonate popular U.S. politicians and face each other head-to-head in roast battles.
The winner of the individual roast battle advances further in the bracket, competing with other “politicians” who advanced, overall striving to come out as the ultimate victor. The show was founded by Tim Kardashian, who also serves as the group’s executive producer, in April 2019. Kardashian named the first show the group performed, “The Unofficial White House Correspondents Dinner,” a spoof on the actual White House Correspondents Dinner.
Kardashian got the idea after President-elect Donald Trump announced that there would not be a comedian attending the dinner. “The brilliant comedian Michelle Wolf did such a fantastic job of roasting Donald Trump the year before that they decided she had taken it too far,” Kardashian said. Simultaneously, Kardashsian was “just coming up in the comedy world, so [he] decided to put together a roast of comedians playing politicians in an unfiltered, uncensored way.
” The group also largely focuses on giving back to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan community that plays a large part in supporting the show.
Currently, the group has raised over $12,000 for various causes including Hilarity for Charity , Seth Rogan’s foundation raising money for Alzhimer’s Disease, Comics for Kamala , which played a large role in supporting the presidential candidate, and the Capital Area Food Bank which strives to combat hunger in D.C. Cast member Rashee Raj, who impersonated Vice President Kamala Harris at the New York show, has been involved with the show from its early stages.
She learned about the show from a Washington Post article in 2019. “I loved the show and the concept, and reached out to Tim [Kardshian], who I knew from doing one of his mics in the past,” Raj said. “I pitched myself to him as Kamala Harris, who had just announced a run for president.
I sent him a short video impression of her and we went from there!” Raj’s connections to Harris go beyond impersonation. While Raj has played numerous characters, including Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Usha Vance, her favorite is Kamala. “I feel like we have the most in common,” said Raj.
“Both South Asian former prosecutors. I’ve been an assistant district attorney and an assistant attorney general. I’m basically the less ambitious junior varsity Kamala.
” Raj’s connection to Harris enhances the authenticity of her portrayal, bringing a unique perspective to her role. It was especially impactful for Raj to bring her character to New York City. “I love performing in NYC,” Raj explained.
“It means so much, it feels like we’ve made it. The show feels different there, like it has more gravity. The crowd was smart and engaged.
They seem pretty much as plugged into politics as D.C.” Todd Fleming, the “Roast Judge” and co-host of the show, along with Kardashian, agreed with Raj.
“Performing in New York has been the best addition to our journey,” Fleming said. “Doing a show across the street from ‘Hamilton,’ ‘Wicked’ and ‘Harry Potter’ makes you feel that much closer to the big lights.” He further explained the significant journey the show has gone on and the extent it has developed throughout the years.
“In the beginning, we were still getting our footing so to speak. We had a lot more people who would be there for only a show or two,” Fleming said. “Now, we have a pretty steady group of folks who are basically [at] every show.
We also understand how to make the show flow much better now and that gives the audience the best experience.” While Kardashian has never had any formal goals for the show, he hopes it progresses and reaches an even wider audience. “Being in the space that we are, a comedy for the people, by the people speaking the language of us as a group, to rise to the occasion is upon us now,” Kardashian said.
One of the main points of the show though has always been to help bridge together divisions. “Post-election, I know some people who need humor to dissuade existential dread,” original cast member Jon Yeager said. “I think there’s also a healing element to it and can help mend fences.
I think that people can look at satire but also connect on poignancy and interconnectivity together. Also, laughter may be the best medicine if RFK Jr. is the Health Czar.
” If you would like to see the show, “The Washington Roast” is performing again in Washington, D.C., on Dec.
3. They plan to return to New York City soon. Keep an eye out on their website for exact dates.
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