(taken from Steinway Street Subway station in Astoria, Queens)
This week while discussing the current theater scene with other New York Musical Theater Festival interns and employees, a show being discussed really engaged my interest. The show, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, first premiered as a reading in 2006 and staged in Los Angeles and 2008 before being brought to New York and having a run at The Public Theater, an established venue that brings to life plays and musicals that go against the contemporary theater structure and are innovative in their own way. The Public is well known for bringing shows such as HAIR to stage in 1967, A Chorus Line in the 1970s and Passing Strange in 2007, each show went on to redefine musical theater to the world and maintain world wide recognition to this day.
(Hair's first incarnation at the Public in 1967)
(A Chorus Line at the Public)
(Passing Strange, 2007)Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is a musical about our 7th President, though it is not always completely accurate but shows him in several important parts of his presidency, like his involvement of the Indian Removal Act and populism.
A NYMF employee described her favorite line during the Public Theater production as the first words spoken, Christopher Walker, playing Andrew Jackson struts on stage and, while surveying the audience states, "You people are sexy as SHIT."
The show is described as very sexy, with Jackson leaning towards an 'emo' personality. Subway posters show the backside of jackson in tight pants, an American flag bandana hanging out of his pocket.
The show moved to Broadway during the fall of 2010, is in previews now and officially opens October 13th. The buzz is already great and many people are anxious to see the show. On Friday, October 1st, after finishing our intern duties, a friend and I went to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater on 45th Street, hoping to get student lottery tickets (20 or so tickets are available an hour before each performance for $20, a great deal for poor students, but they are not always easy to get, we did not win tickets, and neither did 3/4ths of the crowd, which shows that there really is great interest in this sexed up, electrified show. I am really excited to see it eventually, and think it's great that a show can rise from a simple reading to a full blown Broadway show in only a few years, while still maintaining it's original spirit.
I think from the buzz surrounding Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, it is obvious sex sells and theater audiences are enjoying alternative ways to learn about history. Professional reviews of the show will not be published until after opening night but I am certainly going to see it, regardless of what critics say.
ok, there's some good stuff here. I really like the photos and the youtube video. also the topic is interesting. what i'd like to see more of is your voice. remember, the internet is a crowded place. you always need to ask yourself, why would someoenr ead my blog, as opposed to all the others out there on the same topic. one great way to do this is through your voice, your approach to stories, your attitude.
ReplyDeletealso, please include four links in every entry. that's part of the assignment.
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