The president of the United States is an outsider who rose to the Oval Office thanks to feckless coastal elites losing touch with the people in the hinterlands. An environment like this is perfect for a populist to win election by promising to take America back for native-born white people. The year is 1828. Yes, us musical theater and history buffs will have to wait for Hamilton to get here, but in the meantime, Casa Mañana is putting on Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, an emo rock musical about our nation’s seventh chief executive that may well help us understand the 45th and possibly last one.
Michael Friedman and Alex Timbers’ show takes a mostly satirical look at Old Hickory, whose dictatorial ways in the White House first won him the people’s affection before wearing them out. However, the play doesn’t gloss over his belligerence, his slaveownership, his unauthorized military campaigns on behalf of the U.S. government, and his treatment of the Native Americans which rose to the levels of genocide. The play runs this weekend only. Is anybody else rooting for a cameo appearance by Harriet Tubman?
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson runs Fri-Sun at Casa Mañana Theatre, 3101 W Lancaster Av, FW. Tickets are $25-35. Call 817-332-2272
