Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

At the Public Theatre, a new play with music called BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, which is not a musical by text book definition, is an unusually grand time. This satirical play by Alex Timbers, which is adorned with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman strings together a series of “Saturday Night Live” style sketches to sort of tell the story of president Andrew Jackson. Benjamin Walker is the attractive modern day incarnation of Jackson and gets the bulk of the singing as well as the bulk of the play. He is comic, strong, outrageous and beguiling and is reason enough to see the show even if there weren’t so much more to love. Musical theatre fans beware: this is not a musical. I repeat: this is not a musical. Songs do not reveal character or push the story forward. These songs are thematic and add to the variety and enjoyment of the overall show, but if you dropped them you could still play the scenes and not know the difference. However, I am grateful for the songs, for without them the scenes would not completely satisfy either. This production is just an unusual mix of things which make up a fascinating whole that does not fit into any one box. As a historical drama (or comedy really), this hardly takes the place of real history, but it does present a look at our nation’s past that shows us how much things have changed, but also how much hasn’t changed. Is Jackson one of our greatest presidents or is he one of our most horrifying? Under his watch, the American Indians were nearly destroyed and he can be likened to an American Hitler. He also ushered in the greatest expansion of the territories. The show made me want to hit the library for a good biography on the man because I don’t trust the show to tell me the whole truth, but it was darn entertaining and for all the fun of it, it does raise questions and inspire discussion.

Alex Timber has directed the show with a great sense of fun––obviously letting his cast loose to develop the comedy of the piece as far as it could go. Donyale Werle’s set is a combination small indy rock bar venue splashed with wild west fixtures that evoke a saloon music hall. Emily Rebholz’s costumes are downtown rock band with enough touches to suggest an indian versus a cowboy. The whole thing is an appealingly trendy, non conformist, jovial entertainment that plays by its own rules and that’s refreshing.