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cahwyguy
Political satire musicals are an interesting sub-genre. In my youth, these were often records, such as
“The First Family“, “The New First Family” (and I guess even my favorite, Stan Freberg Presents The United States of America would fall into that category). Later, they became local shows or fringe-festival hits. I’m thinking of shows like The Beastly Bombing (which we’ve seen), Clinton: The Musical (which I’ve heard). I’m actually scared to think about what the future Trump musical will be, although I expect quite a few attempts at the upcoming Hollywood Fringe Festival (there were loads in past HFF – Trump Family Special, Transition, Trump in Space, Zombie Clown Trump… you get the idea). I’m talking about this sub-genre because we saw one of its members at the Kirk Douglas Theatre last night: 44: The Musical. This was part of CTG>>FWD, CTG’s fill-in programming at their theatres that are advertised to season ticket holders, but aren’t part of the One CTG season proper.
44: The Musical focuses on the election and first term of Barak Obama, as remembered by Joe Biden (and we all know how reliable Joe’s memory is). This is young Joe, who wants to be seen and be a part of things, but is really in the background. Joe has two areas of interest: Barack’s relationship with Michelle, and Barack’s battle with W.H.A.M. — the society of White Heterosexual Angry Men, led by Mitch McConnel and Ted Cruz, and of which Herman Cain is the required token member to show they don’t discriminate. The songs cover a lot of posturing (and include loads of profanity and sexual talk — this is not a show for kids). Pulling out the posturing, the focus in Obama’s doubts about his ability to succeed, his battles with a Congress determined to stop him, and the hatred and divide in the US that only widened with his election (even though he hoped it would be otherwise). Sad to say, but this show does make the valid point that Trump was a knee-jerk response to Obama’s election as the W.H.A.M. electorate vowed to never again be ruled by a minority, and to do whatever they can to prevent that from happening again.
There are a number of funny bits and some good comic lines: I particularly liked the aside about how the Republicans would never nominate a narcissistic candidate only interested in revenge, or something like that. I also enjoyed the portrayal of Fox News anchors as robotic blond female drones. But there were points where the show dragged on, and the point of the humor was lost.
I will say the show made me realize that while everyone can remember who McCain’s running mate was, no one remembers Mitt Romney’s running mate. You have to look it up (it was Paul Ryan).
Although there were some earworms (and I’ll note the cast album is available for listening but not download, unless you know HTML tricks), the music isn’t particularly memorable nor would it have a long life outside of the show. It works in context, and sounds better on the album than in the theatre because they over-amplified everything, making the bass painful and the lyrics hard to make out. Some songs were changed from the cast album version: notably, “Gay for the N.R.A.” was replaced with “Thoughts and Prayers”; “Just a Boner” was replaced with “M.F.M. (Muthafukin’ McConnell)”; and “Yes We Can” was dropped.
The performances were strong. Some were more focused on the comedy, such as Chad Doreck’s Joe Biden or Larry Cedar’s Mitch McConnell. Others were more focused on the music, such as T.J. Wlkins’ Barack Obama, Shanice’s Michelle Obama, and Summer Nicole Greer’s Voice of the People. But I think that overall the performances were good.
Should you go see it? Well, it would be hard as the rest of the run is sold-out, but let’s talk in the abstract. If the loudness of music bothers you, no. This was just too loud. If it was at a normal volume, then it is worth it for the political humor, if you are in the mood for that. If you have trouble with either side being knocked down a peg or two, then avoid this and wait for The Sound of Music to return to the Pantages.
44: The Musical continues at the Kirk Douglas through March 23. Tickets, if available, would be on the show’s CTG page.
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44: The Musical. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Eli Bauman. Directed by Eli Bauman. Choreography by Miss James Alsop.
Cast (æ indicates Actors Equity): T. J. Wilkins Barack Obama; Shanice Michelle Obama; Chad Doreckæ Joe Biden; Larry Cedaræ Mitch McConnell; Marquell Edward Clayton Brother Abe Lincoln; Summer Nicole Greer Voice of the People; Jane Papageorgeæ Sarah Palin; Jenna Pastuszek Hillary Clinton; Dino Shorté Herman Cain; Jeff Sumneræ Lindsey Graham, Coexist Lady; Michael Uribesæ Ted Cruz. Understudies: Celeste Butleræ u/s Michelle Obama and Voice of the People; Ally Dixon u/s Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin; Scott Kruse u/s Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham.
Music Department; Anthony “Brew” Brewster Musical Director / Music Co-Producer, Keyboards; Conrad Bauer Guitar; Corey Cofield Bass; Phillip “Fish” Fisher Drums; Greg Raymond Keyboards.
Production and Creative: Julie Himede, Avigail Gutfeld, and Yellow Studio Scenic Design; Nathan W. Scheuer Lighting and Projection Design; Haley Meeker Costume Designer; Valerie Klarich Costume Consultant; Jonathan Burke Sound Design; Jud Nester Content Producer; Mike Emerson Graphic and Video Design; Bridget Rooney Production Stage Manager; Cassy Sottile Asst. Stage Manager; Johnny Rice Assoc. Choreographer; Sightline Productions Production Management; Situation Interactive Digital Advertising; Vic Cairl Marketing Strategist; DR Theatrical Manager General Manager; Eli Bauman Lead Producer; Monica Saunders-Weinberg Lead Producer; Steve McKeever Consulting Producer; Conrad Bauer Assoc. Producer; Anthony “Brew” Brewster Music Co-Producer; Shanice & Kerry Gordy Co-Producer.
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Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.
Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).
- March: ♣ Broadway Classics at Santa Clarita Symphony; ♣ Musique/Ray Charles at CTG/Taper; ♦ Cabaret at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Drat the Cat at Group Rep; ✡ MoTAS/MoTBH Mens Seder at TAS
- April: ◊ Ren Faire (Southern); ✡ First Night of Passover; ⌬ California Science and Engineering Fair; ♦ All The Devils Are Here at the Broad;
- May: ♦Bonnie and Clyde: The Musical at Rubicon Theatre; ♦ Life of Pi at CTG/Ahmanson; ⊕ ♦ Spitfire Grill at Actors Co-Op; ♦ A Dolls House, Part 2 at Pasadena Playhouse.
- June: ⊕ ♦ Flower Drum Song at East West Players; ♦ Parade at CTG/Ahmanson; and possibly some Hollywood Fringe Festival shows.
This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as M.F. Obama, F. U. Ted Cruz | "44: The Musical" @ CTG/Kirk Douglas by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.