Historical accuracy may not have been Alex Timbers’ goal when he wrote “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” but despite his anachronistic use of cell phones and microphones, Timbers provides a clear impression of our seventh president in this big, brassy, postmodern vision of the way things were when America was young.
Michael Friedman’s music and lyrics include everything from pounding rock anthems to gentle ballads, performed by Christopher Youstra’s superb nine-piece band, which sits just offstage at Studio’s Theatre’s Stage 4.
That stage, designed by Giorgos Tsappas, consists of a square playing space with audience members sitting on two sides. Two large screens opposite the audience show projections (by Erik Trester) to establish time and place.
But the screens aren’t necessary, as there is a narrator (the dynamic Felicia Curry) who outlines the tale. More importantly, the main storytelling is done by Andrew Jackson (Heath Calvert) himself, who likes to give the story his own flourish and spin.
| Onstage |
| ‘Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson’ |
| Where: Studio Theatre, 1501 Fourteenth St. NW |
| When: Through August |
| Info: $38 to $43; 202-332-3300; studiotheatre.org |
Calvert is sensational throughout, introduced early on as a boy soldier in the Continental Army at the age of 13. Passing reference is made to Jackson’s career as a lawyer and Senator, but by far the most emphasis is put on his taste for violence: his victory against the Creek Indians, his defeat of the British at New Orleans, his overthrow of the Spanish in Florida.
Calvert’s charismatic rock-star Jackson is all swagger and sex appeal, whether he’s dispatching Indians or wooing his wife, the wonderful Rachel Zampelli Jackson. Much of the show’s appeal depends on the fact that Jackson was the nation’s first citizen-president and Calvert convincingly shows his disgust with the idiotic, bewigged wealthy class, including the politicians of the day: Martin Van Buren (Davis Hasty), Henry Clay (Matt Dewberry), James Monroe (Ben Horen), John Calhoun (Pomme Koch) and John Quincy Adams (Alex Mills).
“Andrew Jackson” is very much an ensemble piece, full of excellent singers and dancers who create a vibrant body of people who long for the kind of populism Jackson promised. The irony of “Andrew Jackson” is that when this president turns to his people to see what they want, they sound like tourists or valley girls. And though Jackson began his career as president believing in “equality for all,” by 1830 he insisted on forcing thousands of Native Americans from their homes.
Energy’s what “Andrew Jackson” is all about: the raw, unbridled emotion of the flamboyant Jackson and the larger, restless energy that has driven American politics from 1776 to the present.
