‘White House Chicks’ Grills Beltway Bluster

Colin Powell may have begged off from presidential politics, but at least we have “A Coupla White House Chicks Sittin’ Around Talkin’.”

The comfy environs of L.A. the Bookstore in Santa Monica make an apt venue for James Grant Goldin’s well-informed lampoon of Beltway balderdash, performed by actresses Dea Lawrence and Saratoga Ballantine. While this 40-minute quickie makes no apologies for its left-of-center satiric jabs, only the most devoted Rush Limbaugh dittohead could watch stone-faced.

Goldin excels at deflating hype. One of the stronger skits ridicules Heidi and Alvin Toffler, the husband-and-wife futurists touted by Newt Gingrich, as a kibbitzing couple blinded by their own pie-in-the-sky theories: “If technology had cheeks, we’d pinch them!” they chortle.

Both performers (whose impersonations of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Tipper Gore bookend the show) do well with several a cappella songs; Lawrence, a master of the slow burn, also brings off a scarily accurate impersonation of Bob Dole (including his penchant for referring to himself in the third person).

The weaker bits--including a game show parody in which the host asks contestants to complete stupid statements allegedly made by conservative politicians--come near the beginning. But once it gets going, “White House Chicks” is the perfect way to while away the downtime during a government shutdown.

* “A Coupla White House Chicks Sittin’ Around Talkin’,” L.A. the Bookstore, 2433 Main St., Santa Monica. Fridays, 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Ends Dec. 8. Free. (310) 452-2665. Running time: 40 minutes.