Review- Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

In a recent article already proclaiming the death of the 2011 theater season, Michael Riedel took a shot at the Broadway transfer of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, sarcastically wondering if the audiences "flocking to American Idiot" would buy tickets for Broadway's newest rock-emo musical, currently playing previews at the Bernard Jacobs theater. While it is true that American Idiot has struggled to find an audience on any week Billie Joe Armstrong hasn't been onstage, there is no denying that Andrew Jackson is not only a superior production, but it's also the smartest, most outrageous, and entertaining musical of the year.

How could a rock musical about the country's seventh president and founder of the democratic party be relevant to 2010? The answer is simple... in every way imaginable. Jackson energized a country that had lost faith in it's government, campaigning as the ultimate revolutionary rock star, engaging voters that felt like their voices didn't matter, and riding it all the way to the White House. And while Alex Timbers direction makes you believe you are watching an almost South Park-esque parody of the American Political system, the tone eventually changes, particularly when Jackson is unable to live up to the "agent of change" expectations after taking office. Tough choices are made, promises are broken, and he ultimately gets swallowed up by the machine that is American politics. While the obvious parallels to Barack Obama are evident throughout the first two thirds of the show, we learn through Jackson's journey that even the most well intentioned politician has to have a little "W" in him to get things done.

Make no mistake, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson will not be for everyone. It is far more authentic than American Idiot in it's emo roots. Green Day fans are treated to the majestic red curtain and beautiful interior upon their entry to the St James theater, a sign that they are getting Broadway's sanitized, cleaned up, classier interpretation of a rock concert. Jackson fans walk into a theater that is part rock club, part museum, part taxidermist's office (an upside down, stuffed, horse hangs over the audience's heads). Justin Townsend's fantastic lighting design immediately gives off more of a grimy rock club than a Broadway theater. The older patrons around me were less put off by the experiential production aspects and more offended by the excessive swearing and graphic language that persist throughout the one act show. Perhaps they weren't aroused by Andrew Jackson offering to "stick it in" each and every female in the audience.

For those looking for a catchy score of familiar music, Jackson is not going to provide it. Normally, that would be a disaster for a new musical, but Jackson isn't a "music" show, it's a "thinking" show. You will be more apt to discuss our nation's irrational desire to place politicians on pedestals than hum a song from the show on the way out the door.

As the title character, Benjamin Walker oozes charisma and commands the stage. His singing voice is a little thin in it's upper register, but in a show where the music takes a backseat to the subversive humor, it's never a problem. He's also surrounded by a terrific ensemble of performers including Kristine Nielson as the much abused storyteller, and the hilarious Jeff Hiller stealing scenes in multiple roles.

While there are no obvious problems onstage with Andrew Jackson , it does appear that there are big financial issues plauging the show behind the scenes. The Public Theater's preoccupation with their upcoming Al Pacino led Merchant of Venice has prevented them from raising their portion of the 4 million dollar budget. Rumors persist that they are now offering $150,000 of shares in Merchant in exchange for a $250,000 investment in Jackson. Ultimately, it could mean a brief run for Broadway's first "must see" musical since Next to Normal.

Grade- A+

Box Office Results- The Tony Aftermath

Now that the Tony nominations have been announced, it's interesting to take a look and see if there is any correlation to the box office receipts for last week. By and large, the answer is a resounding "no".

Of the 4 nominees for "best musical", only Fela saw a significant bump over the previous week, filling the Eugene O' Neill theater to 93% capacity (a 22% increase), and a $163,000 increase in gross. To me, Fela feels like the Passing Strange of the season in that it's been a far bigger critical hit than a commercial one, so hopefully the Tony buzz translates into business beyond the next few weeks. The producers (including Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith) are trying their best to capitalize on the momentum, announcing plans for a national tour in 2011.

American idiot and Memphis were essentially flat from last week's attendance, although their grosses were up a little (probably more to do with fewer discounts). The surprise nominee, Million Dollar Quartet was actually down 10% after it was nominated for best musical, taking in nearly $40,000 less and playing to only 57% capacity at the Nederlander Theater. Still though, the producers are soldiering on and have announced that they are selling tickets through November. Anyone care to wager as to whether the show actually lasts that long?

Of the two nominated revivals that are still open, only La Cage saw a spike, up $60,000 from last week and filling the Longacre to 88% capacity, which is more impressive when you see the overall anemic attendance across the board last week.

Which of this season's musicals ARE doing big business? The panned Addams Family and Promises, Promises, both topping the million dollar mark once again. Should we be surprised that this season's most negatively reviewed shows are grossing the highest?? Not really. All you have to take a look at last weekend's Hollywood box office, where the widely panned Iron Man 2 took in $133 million dollars to see the disconnect between critics and audiences. By the way, despite the negative buzz on IM2, all I read this weekend on facebook were status updates from moviegoers praising it as being better than the first one.

The bottom line?? Today's audience doesn't want to be told how they should feel about the product. They are happy to judge for themselves.... and isn't that what makes art great???

What we learned from the Outer Critics Circle Nominations

If today's news from the Outer Critics Circle is indicative of what's to come when the Tony nominations are announced, we may be headed for a big controversy in the best musical category.

First, a little background. This is the first year since 2000 that the Tonys will not be presenting an award for "Special Theatrical Event", a category deemed necessary when Susan Stroman's dance show, Contact, won best musical ten years ago despite being a dance show with recorded music and no live vocalists. The award has been a valuable way to acknowledge shows that were neither plays nor musicals, such as Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, Liza Minelli's concert at the Palace, and Will Ferrell's George W Bush one man show.

The Tony committee elected to abandon the award this year, which just so happens to be a season where the most buzzed about shows have been "special theatrical events". Two productions, in particular, were nominated for "Best Musical" by the Outer Critics Circle earlier today. The docu-musical Sondheim on Sondheim, and Twyla Tharp's Frank Sinatra tribute, Come Fly Away. The first show is a glorified cabaret, repackaging Sondheim's entire catalog with no original music to be found. The second is a dance piece that utilizes prerecorded vocals over a live orchestra. Are these shows in the spirit of what the "Best Musical" category embodies?? Probably not. Is either one going to be talked about in 20 years the way that last season's Billy Elliot and Next To Normal were?? Not a chance. Is one of these shows likely to win a Tony over Memphis or American Idiot?? Perhaps, and there sure will be some ticked off producers if that happens.

At the end of the day, this is a function of it being a bad year for musicals. The best offerings came courtesy of revivals like Finian's Rainbow and La Cage Aux Folles, while new shows like The Addams Family and American Idiot did not live up to the hype. The biggest loser in all of this is probably the producers of Memphis, a show that received solid reviews, but hasn't done huge box office business. It could stand to benefit the most from a Tony win, one that would have been easier if it weren't up against non-musicals in their category.

What do you think? Should the Tony Awards bring back the "Special Theaterical Event" category?

Love Theater? We've got an app for that. Oh wait, just kidding.

One of the radio stations that I manage here in Sacramento is currently in development for our own Iphone application. Listeners will be able to listen to our radio station on their phone 24/7, as well as access video content and podcasts from our website, see an up to the minute feed from the DJ blogs, connect with our social networking sites, and more. Will this make an impact in the monthly radio ratings? Perhaps not, but it is a powerful marketing tool that keeps us top of mind over our competitors, and keeps us relevant in the ever-busy lifestyle of today's youth culture.

I don't say this to brag because, to be quite frank, my parent company should have been rolling these apps out for their radio stations 18 months ago. An estimated 22 million people purchased Iphones in 2009, and that number is going to double in 2010.

If radio stations are late to the party, then Broadway producers are light years behind. A recent search for Broadway related Iphone applications listed only a handful of results, none of them particularly impressive. New York producers are sinking $100,000 a week into TV campaigns for "maintenance marketing" in an age where many viewers are fast forwarding through commercials on their DVR. Yet, there is a relatively inexpensive way to connect with not just the New York audience,but tourists who have already made plans on how to spend their theater dollar before they get to the city....and nobody is taking advantage of it.

If I am the producer of "American Idiot" and I know that the sustainability of my show hinges on getting younger, and possibly, first time theaters goers to the St James theater, I am immediately getting an Iphone app started for my show. Imagine downloading an app where you could preview songs from the soundtrack (with a link to buy the CD and download it right to your phone). You could include video footage of the "sizzle reel" with show clips, and Green Day fans can watch interviews with Billie Joe Armstrong discussing how great it is to be a part of Broadway. You could link to the twitter page for the show (ask the Next to Normal team how vital that has been to their marketing). Most importantly, there is a direct link to Telecharge to buy tickets.

Maybe some smart producer could even develop a partnership with Apple to sell tickets directly through an Itunes account??

Come on, Broadway! I realize some 1960's musicals have been brought back to the stage over the last year, but it doesn't mean we have to keep using 50 year old marketing strategies too.

Green Day Takes on Broadway

My Northern California theater friends may already be acquainted with "American Idiot", as the rock opera premiered down the road at the Berkeley Repertory Theater last fall to rave reviews. The show has been tweaked, pimped all over MTV, and ready to open later this month at the St James Theater.

"American Idiot" is inspired by Green Day's 2004 concept album of the same name. Despite selling 17 million copies worldwide and winning the Grammy award for "best rock album", the CD was met with tepid reviews. In fact, Rolling Stone initially said the album was "a mess, although the songs are tough and punchy enough to work on their own". Entertainment Weekly said it was "based on a musical theater concept that periodically makes no sense".

As a Broadway show, continuity is not really the problem. It is staged expertly by Michael Mayer. The biggest problem with "American Idiot" is that we've seen most of it before. The show, in a subtle way, steals a little bit from other "Teen Angst" show that has come before it.

-Young man is seduced into a seedy underworld by a drug dealer?? We already saw that with the Acid Queen in "Tommy"

-Young man falls in love with a fellow drug addict. They make mad love after shooting each other up. Yep, saw that in "Rent"

-Young people being shipped off to fight in a war that they didn't choose? Diane Paulus' tribe did it better in the revival of "Hair".

-Elevated platform in the center of the stage?? Mayer used the same concept in his Tony winning "Spring Awakening".

There is one other significant issue with "American Idiot". The source material was Green Day's middle finger to the Bush Administration in a year where the apathy of the young voter had reached an all time high. In fact, among the sound clips used in the shows opening is the former President saying "you are either with us or you are with the terrorists". However, a mere 4 years later, Barack Obama was able to mobilize many of these "slackers" and convince them that "Yes, We Can" create change. One can argue exactly how much his administration has accomplished, but you can't argue that, more than ever, the young generation is taking part in the process. It's for this reason that parts of "American Idiot" just don't feel current.

The story is most effective and poignant as we watch the journey of Tunny, who joins the military and gets deployed to fight overseas. Part of this is because of our current administration's policy in Afghanistan, part of it is because Stark Sands (taking over the role in NY), is the most compelling presence and the best singer on the stage.

Despite an overall negative tone towards the prospects of young people, the show still has an amazing energy, largely in part to a passionate cast that is giving every fiber of their being to the performance. The orchestrations by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) are magnificent and played wonderfully by the 8 piece band onstage. The choreography amazingly combines a grunge club mosh pit with classical dance. Then there is the music, featuring a multitude of ear candy, radio hits, composed by Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong.

In five years, "American Idiot's" greatest contribution to Broadway might not be the piece itself. The matinee I attended was brimming with theater newbies--- Green Day fans who would otherwise never see a Broadway show. My girlfriend and I were approached in the lobby by two girls asking us "how much we paid for a Playbill". The theater needs "American Idiot", much like we needed "Tommy" and "Rent" before it, to serve as an on ramp to the theater for new audiences.

Grade- B