Penned by Alex Timbers (book) and the Civilians' Michael Friedman (music and lyrics), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson opened to strong reviews Off-Broadway April 6. The initial run was only scheduled through April 25.
The Public and Center Theatre Group, in association with Les Freres Corbusier, present the raucous rock musical, which features a cast of hipsters carousing about a set that could be a Williamsburg, Brooklyn bar. Bloody Bloody re-imagines Jackson's life and legacy through irreverent emo-rock tunes and a solid dose of rock star flair.
Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records recorded the cast album of the musical April 26. A release date has not been announced.
Timbers directs the latest incarnation of the work that premiered at the Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles in 2008 and was later staged in a developmental run as Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson: The Concert Version for the 2009 Public LAB.
Benjamin Walker leads the cast as Andrew Jackson, with River Aguirre as Lyncoya, James Barry as Male Soloist, Michael Crane as Clay/Blackhawk, Michael Dunn as Calhoun, Greg Hildreth as Red Eagle, Jeff Hiller as John Quincy Adams, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe as Martin Van Buren, Maria Elena Ramirez as Rachel, Kate Cullen Roberts as Elizabeth, Ben Steinfeld as Monroe, Colleen Werthmann as The Storyteller and Emily Young as Female Soloist. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is billed this way: "A brash, hilarious indie rock musical about the country we live in and the leaders we choose. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson audaciously redefines America's seventh president, the man who invented the Democratic Party and doubled the size of our nation, with a raucous blend of outrageous comedy, anarchic theatricality, and an infectious 'emo rock' score."
Songs in the musical include "Populism, Yea, Yea!," "I'm Not That Guy," "Oh, Andrew Jackson," "Illness As Metaphor," "I'm So That Guy," "Ten Little Indians," "The Corrupt Bargain," "Rock Star," "The Great Compromise," "Public Life," "Crisis Averted 1," "Crisis Averted 2," "The Saddest Song," "Second Nature," and "The Hunters of Kentucky."
The production has scenic design by Donyale Werle, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Justin Townsend and sound design by Bart Fasbender. Choreography is by Danny Mefford.
Timbers is artistic director of the award-winning theatre company Les Freres Corbusier. His New York credits include Gutenberg! The Musical! (Drama Desk nomination – Best Director of a Musical; the Actors' Playhouse), A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant (OBIE Award; New York Theatre Workshop; two Garland Awards – Best Director and Best Musical; Powerhouse Theatre, Santa Monica), underground (BAM; International Tour), Hell House (Drama Desk nomination – Unique Theatrical Experience; St. Ann's Warehouse), Boozy ("Ten Best of 2005" – Daily News, Time Out New York). He has participated in workshops for Disney Theatricals, Playwrights Horizons, New York Stage & Film and been honored with fellowships by the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Drama League, and Sundance Theatre Lab.
Friedman is an associate artist with the Civilians, and has composed music and lyrics for the company's This Beautiful City, [I Am] Nobody's Lunch, Gone Missing and Canard, Canard, Goose?; as well as Saved, In the Bubble, The Brand New Kid, God's Ear and The Blue Demon. With Steve Cosson, he co-authored the 2008 Public LAB production Paris Commune. He has been a MacDowell fellow, a Hodder Fellow, and is an artistic associate at New York Theatre Workshop. He received an Obie award for sustained achievement.
For tickets phone (212) 967-7555 or visit PublicTheater.
The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan.
