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
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