Well, hello, President Jackson.

There is an upside-down stuffed crocodile body hanging to the right, a faux red fox on the piano on the stage, and what looks like a veiled werewolf head to the left.  Blood-red velvet curtains are draped around the walls, and chandeliers hang from various positions on the ceiling.  The stage has a strong western look, but ironically, fancy portraits of men in old-fashioned clothing line the walls.  Then a man wearing black skinny jeans walks out after a song from the ensemble, addresses the audience, curses, and starts singing a rock song.

This man is Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States.

The off-Broadway rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Public Theater blends fact and fiction to explore the childhood, family, campaigns, and life of our controversial 7th president.   Jackson, who on one hand created the Democratic Party and expanded the size of our nation, on the other, encouraged slavery and supported Indian removal.  His legacy is an intensely mixed one, which makes this musical so interesting.

One surprising element of Bloody was that it was very funny.  I did not expect it to be so comedic, but the audience was laughing the entire time (Jeff Hiller and Lucas Near-Verbrugghe are especially a riot). It is also very different from anything I have ever seen, because it pokes fun at history and politics to the beat of rock and roll.

This show further proves that the future of Broadway has a rock score.  A lot of shows already have modern/rock scores, and Bloody adds to that.  The band consists solely of piano, drums, and guitar.  The three musicians stand on stage during the entire show, and become part of the action often, further connecting how important the music is to the story.

Benjamin Walker, who plays Andrew Jackson (and is cast in PETER Jackson’s upcoming prequel of “X-Men”), leads this cast of 13 with passion, and his portrayal of Jackson is easily relatable to current politics, even though Jackson was president during the 1800’s.  The role of media in the election process, and the president being more of a celebrity than a politician are big themes that easily translate into our politics today.

You will leave Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson having had a good time, and with a new interest in our controversial “rock & roll president” Andrew Jackson.

Video interviews with Alex Timbers (writer/director), Michael Friedman (music composer/lyrisist), and Benjamin Walker (lead actor):