Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson!

 Week 1: Two rehearsals so far!

Since I was cast in New Line Theatre's production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (and don't have any trips planned until after it closes) I'm going to devote the next few months to blogging about my experience in the show. So, away we go!

I thought I would starting by pulling my mini-review of the show when I saw it on Broadway. BBAJ opened off-Broadway at the Public Theater then moved to the Great White Way, where it was a commercial flop even though it was a critical hit. Here's exactly what I wrote:

This musical biography of our seventh President ("I'm Andrew-Fucking-Jackson!") is SO entertaining! Except for the last 15 minutes when it becomes SO serious, especially in comparison to the silliness of the preceding 80 or so minutes. While uneven in tone and not entirely historically accurate, it is a fun show that draws many correlates to current day politics. While the score is not completely satisfying (there is actually very little music in the show), the book more than makes up for it. So does the smart staging and simple set (simple that is from a technical standpoint) that spills out and transforms the entire theatre into a crazy lodge/museum of historical artifacts/junk. Not sure how this show made it to Broadway, but it is sure to have an extended and well-deserved life in smaller theatres across the country!

It's like I had New Line in mind with that last sentence! Actually, I know I did because this show is right up our director Scott Miller's alley! One of the things Scott said to us at our first rehearsal was how silly the original production was and that is definitely reflected in my comments above. But, he pointed out that a lot of that silliness was not in the script (even though some of the lines and lyrics are damn funny!) and maybe that's why I thought it was so uneven. For New Line's production he wants any silliness to come from character.

And, about those characters. We have a cast of 13. Three actors have single roles: Andrew Jackson, the storyteller, and the "band leader;" with the other 10 of us playing a gazillion different characters, which is SO much fun! I portray three actual people: Andrew Jackson, Sr., John Calhoun, and Red Eagle; and a bunch of fictional characters too. Of the 3 historical figures, John Calhoun is the most well-known. Scott provided this bio for him:

JOHN CALHOUN of South Carolina - "a smooth, Rhett Butler like Southern senator, the smartest man in the room" (Alex Timbers [librettist for BBAJ]), legendary member of the Senate, vice-president to both John Quincy Adams and Jackson, strong slavery advocate and proponent of nullification (i.e., "states' rights")... When Jackson left the White House, he said to a reporter, "After eight years as President, I have only two regrets, that I have not shot Henry Clay or hanged John C. Calhoun."

I gathered a little info about Andrew Jackson's father (who was Scots-Irish), but know nothing about Red Eagle as of yet.

So far at rehearsals we have learned all of the music, splitting all the songs over two nights. Not much to say there as of yet, but it really is a rockin' score. The other cool thing is that the scenic designer, Scott Schoonover, showed us a picture of the set:

Very cool and notice how prominent the band will be!

Until next week after another set of rehearsals!