Review: Robert Trebor's The Haircut Who Would Be King:A Political Fable

From character actor with more than forty years experience on stage, film, and television comes Robert Trebor's The Haircut Who Would Be King:A Political Fable

The tone for his wickedly funny parody is set with the opening page statement attributed to American journalist and political commentator, H.L. Mencken:

“On some great and glorious day,

the plain folks of the land

will reach their heart's desire at last,

and The White House will be adorned

by a downright moron.”

Did Mencken predict one day that there would be a Donald Trump elected as President of the USA? If so, he must be turning in his grave!

You don't have to get far into the book to start howling as Trebor ridicules the many inane diversions that distract Trump, whom he calls “Rump,” from more serious concerns. Without a doubt, the book is a product of our times as readers will enjoy Trebor's piercing, often hilarious takes and observations on Donald Trump and his buddy, Vladimir Putin, as well as the some of the other familiar characters that have come and gone in the Administration.

Although many of the scenes and descriptions may seem a trifle far fetched, yet, regrettably they are accurate, allowing for the parody's necessary selection and exaggeration. How many times have we heard the familiar expression “many a true word is spoken in jest,” which incidentally has been attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer in The Cook's Tale? And this is what Trebor's scathingly funny political parody and his comedic gift are all about- a deliberate persuasive effect to make Trump and his cronies appear dumb and even comical.

You have to admit you don't have to try too hard to accomplish this feat where you have a President who takes his tactical and ideological cues resembling a screaming, mid-tantrum toddler. Moreover, Trebor effectively succeeds in peppering his yarn with snatches of uproarious light takes on serious issues which all makes for a good belly laugh.

This wildly comic and uncannily spot-on spoof gets off to a swift start and maintains its momentum beginning with our first introduction to Trump or Rump, as Trebor refers to him, on election eve. Trebor informs us that Trump's father shortened the family name from “Rumperlcarpf “to avoid embarrassment, but nineteen-year-old Donnie seemed intent on causing the family maximum amount anyway.” And although, there is no evidence that Trump read Mein Kampf or Hitler's sayings such as: “What luck for rulers that men do not think”, and “The great masses of people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than a small one,” you can nonetheless understand Trebor's references when we compare these Hitlerisms and the dubious quotes that Donnie loves to tweet on Twitter.

As the burlesque unfolds, we follow Trump's journey in his early years of his Presidency, his peculiar relationship with Putin and the folly that is Trump's White House. Trebor effectively depicts the absurdity, excessive stupidity, and petty obsessions of the clown in the Oval Office with just the right mix. This is a parody at its supreme best; uproariously funny yet accurate. If you are feeling down from the bombardment of the daily outrageous behavior of the idiot in the White House, the read will provide you with just the right medicine to cure your ills and put away those anti-depressants that you may be taking.

FOLLOW HERE TO READ NORM'S INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT TREBOR