Andrew Jackson He's Our Man

After reading all the glowing reviews I decided that I should probably go see one of the most buzzed about shows of the season, The Public Theater's commercial Broadway transfer of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

Told through a series of sketches and forgettable songs that don't really move the plot forward. The show does employ a device that I have long missed in the musical theater setting, The Storyteller. Although they never really explain if she is a tour guide, or an Andrew Jackson superfan, who just happens to show up during the middle of a very awkward rock concert. They end up killing her ala Into The Woods, although unlike in that show, she comes back, twice.

The performances in the show are strong, especially Benjamin Walker who is only person who doesn't play more than one role, as Andrew Jackson. He exudes a macho sexuality that although at times can be one dimensional, he manages to capture the audiences attention the whole show. The other stand-out in the cast is NYC improv and sketch mainstay Jeff Hiller in a variety of roles including John Quincy Adams. Hiller manages to steal every scene that he's in, he also received the loudest applause during the curtain call.

The show's main flaws are the songs and the narrative. There were points when the music was playing that I couldn't understand what was being sung. The songs also did not help to move the plot along, they seemed more random than anything else, and the lyrics sounded like they were being made up on the spot. The songs contributed to the problem with the narrative. The narrative was almost non-existent, the book just appeared to be a series of sketches with song interludes. Killing off the storyteller may have not been a good idea, because she could have been the through line that held the book together, explaining what was happening onstage for those of us in the audience who just knew that Jackson was responsible for The Trail of Tears, but not of his dealings with the native tribes before the ultimate end result.

The show ran about an hour and forty-five minutes without an intermission. The show could have been trimmed a little and the book tightened up before it moved to the Broadway stage. Considering how long the show has been in development, the book should have been tight and the narrative stronger. You should go see the show because I have a feeling that Benjamin Walker's star is on the rise, and you can say you saw him when, you should also the show for Jeff Hiller who's comedic styling's are almost custom tailored to him.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is playing an open ended run at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theater located at 242 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036. Tickets are available through Telecharge.

photos copyright BroadwayWorld.com 2010

75 Minute History Lesson?

If you have to see one one man show this year, playing at the smallest Broadway theater make it Colin Quinn: Long Story Short now playing at the Helen Hayes Theater.

Long Story Short started Off-Broadway at the temporarily closed 45 Bleeker theater and moved to the Helen Hayes Theater in October of 2010.

I had no expectations going into this show, and no knowledge of what the show was about. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by Quinn's sharp dialogue and the pacing of the show. Much of the show's fast paced style is probably attributed to the direction of Jerry Seinfeld.

The use of of the multimedia in the show was fun, but at the same time it was distracting. Much of the time my focus was drawn to the giant screen behind Mr. Quinn as opposed to Quinn himself. The blackouts used to distinguish the separation of different periods of history were at times a bit jarring, I am sure they could have used a better device for transitions.

The show although only 75 minutes managed to put to sleep some of the audience members in the theater. It at times could drag, but for the most part the show was very well paced. There was also a pamphlet inserted in the program that reminded people to refrain from "hooting and hollering" which I guess the couple next to me didn't seem to read, they managed to treat the show like a midnight viewing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and finished lines and talked back to Mr. Quinn.

Sales for the show are not doing well, the balcony to the theater was closed the night I went, and they were moving people to the orchestra, which still had many empty rows.

Overall if you enjoy Colin Quinn's brand of humor and world history then go see this show, and if you're on the fence, go see the show anyway.

Colin Quinn: Long Story Short playing the Helen Hayes Theater at 240 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036 through January 8th. Tickets may be purchased through Telecharge.

Promise Me That Sean Hayes Will Do More Musicals.

Promises, Promises the first revival of the 1968 show penned by Burt Bacarach, Hal David, with a book by Neil Simon, now in residence at the gigantic Broadway Theater, left me feeling less than fulfilled.

I guess the show itself can't be faulted, because it's a product of it's time, but I can see why it hasn't gotten a major revival in 40 years. The show is very dated, and without script changes to make the show's 60's flair more contemporary, I must say it's a relic of a bygone era.


The only thing that saved this show are two stand-out performances. The first being that of Sean Hayes, making his Broadway debut as put-upon corporate employee Chuck Baxter who lends out his apartment to executives so they can have affairs, hoping that this will lead to promotions. It does eventually, but not before he has his heart torn out when he realizes that one of his bosses is having an affair with the object of his affections Fran(played by Kristin Chenoweth). Mr. Hayes, filling the shoes of the late Jerry Orbach was absolutely fantastic in his first starring role on Broadway. He added a charm and energy to a show that was for the most part dull and lifeless. His voice sounded very tired, which makes me wonder how he'll be able to sustain the rigors of 8 shows a week, but he is forgiven since his character is onstage almost the entire show. Mr. Hayes has a very long career ahead of him as a leading man in Broadway musicals. Hopefully he'll be able to successfully make the transition from TV to stage like David Hyde Peirce did.

The other standout performance goes to Katie Finneran who, in her two scenes manages to make us forget that most of us came to the show to see Broadway star Chenoweth. Finneran plays Marge MacDougall a lush whom Chuck Baxter meets at a bar on Christmas eve after finding out that Fran is sleeping with his boss. She manages to wake the audience up after the sleepy first act, before disappearing and never to be seen again. She and Hayes are the true reasons the show manages to stay afloat as long as it does.

Onto Kristin Chenoweth, I have seen Chenoweth excel in comedic parts where she is able to inflect a hint of seriousness, such as her amazing turn in The Apple Tree a few years ago, but here, I don't know if it's just that fact that she is miscast in the role, or if she is too old to be playing a young naive executive lunch room hostess, but she fails to show the audience any of the star power that made us love her in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, or her guest spots on Glee. Add to her flat performance the fact that they shoehorned two extra Bacarach/David songs into the show specifically to beef up her part, and her performance just doesn't add up. While she sings beautifully and acts incredibly, Chenoweth as Fran fails to win any of the audience over, as we soon realize her character is a sad pathetic one dimensional person who can only be happy with the love of a man.

Overall the show was meerly okay, the good performances balance out the bad ones and the out of date book. The show would have succeeded more had they brought in a new bookwriter to update the sexist reference and made them more tongue in cheek and less blatant and offensive.

Promises, Promises
Broadway Theater
1681 Broadway(at 53rd Street)
New York, NY 10036
Tickets: 212-239-6200

Book: Neil Simon
Music and Lyrics: Hal David and Burt Bacarach

I'll Wait for the Rapture if it's Like This!

I had the immense pleasure of being able to see Sherie Rene Scott's amazing one woman show Everyday Rapture which officially opens today at the American Airlines Theater.

First off I will say that in the past I have not been a fan of Scott's voice, I find it to be grating and very nasal. But live the nasal qualities of her voice that come through so strong on her recordings are not as pronounced. That being said, Scott won me over as a new convert.

Her show is a pitch perfect blend of popular songs and amazing storytelling. It never once felt like I was watching a one person show, which can sometimes drag an get boring as the performer tells tales of themselves and how great they are. I feel that the reason why the show doesn't drag, is because it isn't structured like a normal one person show, with bits and stories leading into songs from the performer's career, it's structured as a musical, with a story line and songs that help move the plot along. The show tells the story of Scott's upbringing in Kansas and how her family was half-Mennonite or as she refers to it as Amish Light, and her road to the Broadway stage.

The standout songs are a version of "You Made Me Love You" sung to a montage of pictures of Jesus and "My Strongest Suit," I would explain more about "My Strongest Suit" but I want everyone to go see it for yourself, because it was that amazing, and no words I can write would do it justice.

The show is filled with humor as well as touching moments, like Scott's story about her favorite cousin who died of AIDS.

Something must also be said of the supporting cast as well, which includes Lindsay Mendez and Betsy Wolfe as Scott's back-up singers the Mennonettes and Eamon Foley as a superfan(he plays a part in "My Strongest Suit" that's all I'm going to say) who were all fantastic and amazing!

So like the title of this post suggests, if this is what the real rapture is going to be like, then sign me up! As for all of you, get your asses down to the American Airlines Theater before July 11th to see this show before it closes it's limited run and you'll never be able to see it again.

Everyday Rapture
American Airlines Theater
227 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Tickets: (212)719-1300

Book by Sherie Rene Scott and Dick Scanlan
Directed by Michael Mayer