Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Public

Last night I checked out Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, a rock-musical being presented at the Public Theater.

When we walked into the theater, we were enchanted by the chandeliers that hung over our heads all throughout the theater. We had heard only rave reviews so we were quite excited about what we were about to see. Plus, I like literature and plays that teach me about history. Andrew Jackson was our seventh President and the father of the Democratic Party. He was also a charismatic politician with an interesting personal life to boot. I was eager to learn more about him.

Written and directed by Alex Timbers, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is not a straight-forward kind of narrative. It’s the story of Jackson with a bit of sex, drug and rock & roll. I definitely haven’t seen anything quite like it before, which is probably why I neither loved or hated it. It’s innovative, for sure. It’s presented as “emo rock,” which is a kind of punk music that has a focus on teen angst. In this case the theme of the play and one of the main songs is called “Life sucks”. Jackson and his cast of other emo rock singers seem to give this as their world view and want to make life better for all of us.

I admittedly didn’t love the production, it was a bit manic for my liking, but I did like the historical aspect. I didn’t realize that when Jackson was elected, he invited the public into the White House and they trashed it. While he was liberal, he was also against the Native American people, and voted to move them west, even though he, himself, had a child with a Native American woman. But I would gamble to say that the people in the audience loved it. There was so much laughter in the audience, made up primarily of young hipsters, or so it seemed. I did hear one guy behind me mutter, “What do they think is so funny?” The woman next to me, after texting sex messages on her phone, proceeded to check her phone for a response from her lover during the play every three minutes. She simply added to the experience.

However, I was really impressed with the lead actor, Benjamin Walker. He has a beautiful voice and is full of charm and charisma. He’s someone to keep your eye out for. The rest of the cast is good, too.

Not sure if would recommend “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” or not, which is a first for me, but this show could make it to Broadway and I may see it again one day and have a complete change of heart. I think I had a similar reaction to “Rent” when I first saw it in its early days off-Broadway, and look how far it has come and I have definitely changed my mind about that play.

I recently read that “Bloody” has been extended until the end of May, so you have time to see it to decide for yourself.

Performance contains the use of fog, haze, and strobe effects. Running time: 90 min. with no intermission.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

New Extended Performance Schedules for Public LAB 2009 Shows!

Tuesday, May 5 - Sunday, May 24
Tuesday at 7pm
Wednesday - Friday at 8pm
Saturday at 2pm & 8pm
Sunday at 2pm & 7pm

No Performance/Unavailable: Wed 5/13 at 7pm

PLEASE NOTE: For the week of May 11, performance schedule as follows:
Tuesday at 7pm
Thursday at 9pm
Friday at 9pm
Saturday at 2pm & 9pm
Sunday at 3pm & 9pm

Rush Tix:
There will be a limited number of $10 Rush Tix available at the box office for Public LAB performances on sale to the general public one hour prior to curtain. There is a 2 ticket limit per person. Cash only.

To order tickets, go here.