Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
| Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Music | Michael Friedman |
| Lyrics | Michael Friedman |
| Book | Alex Timbers |
| Productions | 2008 Los Angeles 2009 Off-Broadway Concert 2010 Off-Broadway 2010 Broadway |
| Awards | 2010 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical 2010 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical |
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is a musical with music and lyrics written by Michael Friedman, and a book by its director Alex Timbers.[1]
The show is an irreverent, Wild West rock musical about the founding of the modern Democratic Party. It redefines Andrew Jackson, America's seventh President, as an Emo rock star and focuses on populism, the Indian Removal Act, and his relationship with his wife Rachel.
Synopsis
A dozen cowboys and prostitutes clad in filthy 19th century dress form a menacing phalanx - Andrew Jackson at the head. They glare threatingly at the audience. Andrew Jackson explains to the audience that "tonight we're delving into some serious, serious shit." After throwing a cowboy through a window, the company expresses their eagerness to strip the Native Americans of their land ("Populism Yea Yea").
As the song finishes, we are greeted by a modern-day, Puff the Magic Dragon-style Storyteller wearing a questionable sweater and piloting an electric wheelchair. She clearly loves Andrew Jackson and begins to narrate his life story.
We meet Jackson as a child amongst his family in an idyllic pastoral scene. It's the Tennessee hills - late 18th century American frontier territory. The convivial atmosphere is quickly punctured when Andrew's family members (along with the local shoe cobbler) are one-by-one violently murdered. Surrounded by the dead carcasses of his mom and dad, young Andrew sings about how much his life sucks ("I'm Not That Guy").
As we watch him mature over the years, we witness Jackson imprisoned and abused by the British, taunted by dangerous arrow-wielding Indians, and attacked by a pack of robust but effete Spaniards. Through it all, Jackson is resilient, charismatic, and kind of a douche.
Late one night, a teenage Andrew Jackson meets the love of his life, the ever bosomy Rachel. Even though she's married to another man, they forge their love for each other through libidinous ritualistic bleeding. The bloodletting crescendos in an orgiastic frenzy ("Illness as Metaphor").
Their strange coupling is interrupted by news that British, Indian, and Spanish forces are making fresh inroads into American territory lands and the out-of-touch, nascent US government is doing nothing to stop it. Andrew Jackson point-blank shoots the Storyteller in the neck and declares it's up to him to do something to change all that ("I'm So That Guy").
General Andrew Jackson organizes a ragtag band of frontier ruffian militia men and in spectactular fashion defeats Indian forces all throughout the Southeast ("Ten Little Indians"). The subsequent Battle of New Orleans, which sends the British packing once and for all, transforms Jackson into a national hero. He decides to run for President in 1824 and, while he experiences a groundswell of popular support, the foppish, doily wearing Washington elite construct a nefarious plan to rob this "outsider" candidate of the top job ("The Corrupt Bargain").
Down but not out, Jackson licks his political wounds for four years back home in Tennessee and then returns to public life stronger than ever ("Rock Star"). He forms the Democratic Party with a populist anti-establishment platform of reform, and we discover he's developed into an uber-seductive "people's candidate" whom the public feels reflects their everyman values.
The election of 1828 is grueling both publicly and personally, and the publicity-adverse Rachel questions Andrew's commitment to her versus his love for the People ("The Great Compromise"). A Senate panel led by Henry Clay investigates Jackson's past wrongdoings and accuses him of having engaged in bigamy when marrying his wife. These accusations result, somewhat remarkably, in Rachel Jackson dying of grief.
Thus, on the eve of his greatest triumph (he finally wins the election this time), Jackson suffers his greatest tragedy. He vows to use both his election and his wife's death as a mandate to "take this country back" ("Public Life").
Once in office, Jackson is faced with a raft of problems, ranging from the National Bank to the question of Indian relocation. He decides there will finally be no difference between the governing and the governed and begins polling the People on every decision he makes. This draws the ire of Congress and the Supreme Court and so Jackson chooses to consolidate Executive Power thus making the Presidency the most powerful body in government. At first, his exhilarating cowboy-like governing tactics are met with great enthusiasm by the average citizen but, as the problems grow tougher, the public begins to resent being asked to make the most difficult decisions ("Crisis Averted").
As the People gradually turn on him, Jackson takes stock of all that he's lost: his family, his wife, and now the love of the American public. He decides he must take ultimate responsibility for the nation's choices and declares that he alone will be the one to make the unenviable policy decisions regarding the Indians' fate ("The Saddest Song"). He summons an Indian Chief that was once his friend and implores him to peacefully move his people west of the Mississippi. When more diplomacy and discussion are requested, Jackson violently snaps and decrees that federal troops will forcibly move the Indians west.
The Storyteller, now a ghostly apparition complete with halo and angel wings, wheels back in and explains to the audience that Jackson's legacy today is deemed to be a complicated one - some believe he was one of our greatest Presidents while others believe him to be an American Adolf Hitler, due specifically to his treatment of the native population.
Suddenly the show telescopes out and we get a bird's eye view of Jackson's damning legacy and our collective culpability ("Second Nature").
The company then gathers to sing "The Hunters of Kentucky" before taking their bows.
Production history
- World premiere
Developed by New York-based experimental company Les Freres Corbusier, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson had workshop productions in August 2006 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and in May 2007 at the New 42nd Street Studios, New York. It premiered in January 2008 in Los Angeles at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, produced by Center Theatre Group. The cast included Sebastian Arcelus, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Kevin Del Aguila, Darren Goldstein, Greg Hildreth, Jeff Hiller, Adam O'Byrne, Maria Elena Ramirez, Kate Roberts, Jeanine Serralles, Ben Steinfeld, Robbie Sublett, Ian Unterman, and Ben Walker. Robert Brill was the set designer, Jeff Croiter the lighting designer, Emily Rebholz the costume designer, Bart Fasbender the sound designer, and Jacob Pinholster the video designer. Kelly Devine was the choreographer and Gabriel Kahane the music director.[2][1]
- New York premiere
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson opened in May 2009 at the Public Theater in New York in a concert version, and returned to run from March 23 (previews) to June 27, 2010.[3] The cast included David Axelrod, James Barry, Darren Goldstein, Greg Hildreth, Jeff Hiller, Lisa Joyce, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Bryce Pinkham, Maria Elena Ramirez, Kate Roberts, Ben Steinfeld, Ben Walker, and Colleen Werthmann. Scenic design was by Donyale Werle, lighting design by Justin Townsend, costume design by Emily Rebholz, and sound design by Bart Fasbender. Danny Mefford was the choreographer and Justin Levine was the music director.[4][5][6]
- Broadway Premiere
The show premiered on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, with previews starting on September 21, 2010 and opening night October 13, 2010. Many of the cast from the off-Broadway production reprised their roles, including Benjamin Walker in the title role, Maria Elena Ramirez, Jeff Hiller and Lucas Near-Verbrugghe.[7]
Despite a windfall of positive reviews and early Tony buzz, The musical scheduled to close on January 2, 2011, after 120 performances.[8] The show, which cost $4.5 million, "will close at a loss", according to The New York Times.[9]
Musical numbers
- Populism, Yea, Yea! – Company
- I’m Not That Guy – Andrew Jackson
- Illness As Metaphor – Andrew Jackson, Rachel, Monroe, & Justin Levine
- I’m So That Guy – Andrew Jackson & Company
- Ten Little Indians – Female Soloist, Rachel, Elizabeth, & The Storyteller
- The Corrupt Bargain – Elizabeth, The Storyteller, Female Soloist, John Calhoun, John Quincy Adams, & Henry Clay
- Rock Star – Male Soloist, Andrew Jackson, & Company
- The Great Compromise – Rachel, Justin Levine, & Monroe
- Public Life – Andrew Jackson & Company
- Crisis Averted – Male Soloist, Justin Levine, & Company
- The Saddest Song – Andrew Jackson, Monroe, Red Eagle, & Justin Levine
- Second Nature – Justin Levine
- The Hunters of Kentucky – Company
Reception
- New York Daily News: “Bloody entertaining!”[10]
- The New Yorker: “Giddy with intelligence… a smart, vulgar, comic-book romp through history.“
- New York Times: "Delightful… Poised between deadpan wonder and frat-house humor...Bloody may be a hoot, but it’s also a primal holler."[5]
- Curtain Up: "The most fun I've had at a play this year!"[11]
- Backstage: "A silly-smart entertainment that feels like a fifth-grade pageant hatched under the tutelage of The Harvard Lampoon and composed by Spinal Tap."[12]
- New York Post: “Bloody good! Anarchic joy and cross-cultural mayhem… Offers a coherent view of the way American politics cranks out leaders who are as charismatic as they are opportunistic.”[13]
- Bloomberg (review of the concert at the Public Theater): “Rough, raucous, and raunchy! A wholly iconoclastic burlesque with emo rock music and humor that goes for the jugular.”[14]
- Variety: “Down at the Public, this hot little show is putting on one hell of a wake for a fallen hero”
- Theatermania: “Remarkably inventive and often hilarious… A dizzying post-modern approach to American history."[15]
- TalkinBroadway.com: "Librettist-director Timbers is the artistic director of Les Freres Corbusier and Michael Friedman is the house composer of The Civilians, and the uniting of these two downtown titans on a project of this audacity is a match made in theatre utopia. Timbers’s knack for rampantly visionary entertainment and Friedman’s grip on pungent social commentary combine to make something deeper, richer, and hotter than either has previously devised alone, all within a searing context that commands your attention and demands your assent to its absurdities."[16]
Awards and nominations
- 2010 Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical (winner, tie)[17]
- 2010 Outstanding Music (nomination)
- 2010 Outstanding Book of a Musical (winner)
References
- ^ a b " 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson' production history" lesfreres.org, retrieved August 20, 2010
- ^ " 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson' listing Center Theatre Group, retrieved August 20, 2010
- ^ [1]
- ^ Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, 2010 publictheater.org, retrieved March 12, 2010
- ^ a b Brantley, Ben.Theater Review:'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'The New York Times, May 18, 2009
- ^ Hetrick, Adam.Emo Rock Musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Opens at the Public Theater April 6" playbill.com, April 6, 2010
- ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Broadway Run of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Will Include Original Cast Members" playbill.com, August 20, 2010
- ^ BWW News Desk."Confirmed: 'BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON' to Close January 2" broadwayworld.com, December 1, 2010
- ^ Healy, Patrick."'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson’ to Close The New York Times, December 1, 2010
- ^ [2] The New York Daily News
- ^ Sandman, Jenny."A CurtainUp Review:'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'" curtainup.com, May 17, 2009
- ^ Sheward, David." 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson' reviewBackstage, April 6, 2009
- ^ Vincentelli, Elizabeth."Old Hickory is action Jackson" The New York Post, April 7, 2009
- ^ Simon, John."Bloody Jackson Sings Emo"bloomberg.com, May 20, 2009
- ^ Lipton, Brian Scott."Review:'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson' " theatermania.com, April 7, 2009
- ^ Murray, Matthew."'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson' Review" talkinbroadway.com, May 17, 2009
- ^ Gans, Andrew."Memphis, La Cage, Zeta-Jones, Finneran and More Are Outer Critics Circle Award Winners" playbill.com, May 17, 2010
- ^ Gans, Andrew."Red, Memphis, Bridge, Fences and La Cage Win Drama Desk Awards" playbill.com, May 23, 2010