Actresses Melissa Rauch and Zosia Mamet are set to play First Daughters Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump, respectively, in a one-night-only play to benefit Planned Parenthood later this month.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Rauch and Mamet will star in The Secret Lunches of Chelsea & Ivanka, a satire about the relationship between the two women and their experiences in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. Rauch, perhaps best known for her role as Bernadette on CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, reportedly co-wrote the play with her husband, Winston Rauch.
“We were moved when Meryl Streep reminded us of Carrie Fisher’s beautiful advice to, ‘Take your broken heart and make it into art,’ and this is our humble attempt to do so,” the writers told THR in a statement.
“The idea for this play was sparked by a fascination over the reported friendship between Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump. We felt this provided a perfect filter through which we could fictionally explore the epic roller-coaster that led up to the election last November and a comedic requiem for the dream that so many of us held during that time,” they added.
Melissa Rauch and Chelsea Clinton (Getty Images)
Zosia Mamet and Ivanka Trump (Getty Images)
All proceeds from the play, set to be performed July 24 at Joe’s Pub in New York City, will be donated to Planned Parenthood.
Chelsea and Ivanka have reportedly been friends since well before the 2016 race, despite their parents being opponents in one of the most contentious elections in recent memory.
“[Our friendship] certainly is not going to end because of politics,” Chelsea said in a September appearance on The View. “I have tremendous respect for Ivanka. I love her family. She’s a working mom like I am. We have so much more in common than we have disagreement about.”
In a January interview with 20/20, Ivanka called Chelsea a “very good friend,” but said the pair had not spoken since the election.
The Secret Lunches of Chelsea & Ivanka will be directed by Carolyn Cantor, according to THR.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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