Upon the Dec. 1 launch of its beta version, the Playbill Vault includes information on over 10,000 shows and 120,000 actors, creative teams and crew members who have worked or are currently working on Broadway, with content being added on a daily basis.
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With the quadrennial presidential primaries season set to begin next week, we dug into the Playbill Vault to come up with a survey of Broadway plays and musicals that depicted the various presidents, or used their names in titles. Here are some of the presidents we found. Can you name the shows?
George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
Abraham Lincoln
James Garfield
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Franklin D. Roosevelt
John F. Kennedy
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
George W. Bush
UNLOCK THE VAULT Continue to page 2 for the answer.
ANSWER:
American presidents have appeared in many plays and musicals, or had their names used in titles. Here are just a few:
George Washington
George Washington Slept Here
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
1776
John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Abraham Lincoln
By far the most popular play subject among the Commanders in Chief. Eight shows have mentioned his name in the title, and many more portray him.
Abe Lincoln in Illinois
Mister Lincoln
The Last of Mrs. Lincoln
The Lincoln Mask
The Young Abe Lincoln
Yours, A. Lincoln
The Man Who Killed Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
James Garfield
Assassins
Teddy Roosevelt
Arsenic and Old Lace (Teddy Brewster)
Tintypes
Teddy and Alice
Woodrow Wilson
Wilson in the Promise Land [sic]
Franklin D. Roosevelt
I'd Rather Be Right
Sunrise at Campobello
Annie
John F. Kennedy
Kennedy's Children
The Best Man (headed for a revival this spring)
Merrily We Roll Along
Richard M. Nixon
Frost/Nixon
An Evening With Richard Nixon and…
Gerald Ford
Assassins
George W. Bush
You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush
In addition, the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue had a character called "The President" (Ken Howard) who technically embodied all the presidents.
How many more can you name?
