The Capitol Steps was an American political-satire group that performed from 1981 to 2020. Most of the Capitol Steps' material parodied well-known contemporary songs. The songs were interspersed with other routines, including a spoonerism routine near the end of each performance with innuendoes about recent scandals. They have released over 40 albums, primarily song parodies. Originally consisting of congressional staffers who performed around Washington, D.C., the troupe was later primarily made up of professional actors and singers. The Capitol Steps have performed on PBS, public radio and in small- and medium-size venues around the United States. On January 13, 2021, the Capitol Steps announced via Twitter that they were shutting down after 39 years of performing.
A 2008 performance
2008 skit at the Catholic University of America
Obama campaign skit with cast member Felicia Curry
At the Catholic University of America in 2008
A spoonerism is an occurrence of speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched between two words of a phrase. These are named after the Oxford don and ordained minister William Archibald Spooner, who reputedly did this.
An example of spoonerism on a protest placard in London, England: "Buck Frexit" instead of "Fuck Brexit".
Spooner as caricatured by Spy (Leslie Ward) in Vanity Fair, April 1898.
Caricature of Charles H. Workman. The accompanying biography reads, "The only part of him which gets tired is his tongue, and occasionally the oft-repeated lines have got muddled. 'Self-constricted ruddles', 'his striggles were terruffic', and 'deloberately rib me' are a few of the spoonerisms he has perpetrated."
