BWW Reviews: University School of Nashville Takes on BLOODY, BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat: I don't review high school theater. Usually. But when University School of Nashville announced its intentions to mount the recently-on-Broadway Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson as its first musical of the year, I obviously had reason to re-think my policy - and run the risk of upsetting the talented teachers and artists at Hume-Fogg High School and Battle Ground Academy, the two schools I've used that excuse on for years.

When you live in a city ringed by suburbs like Old Hickory and Hermitage, when one of the most popular tourist attractions is The Hermitage and we all think of Andy Jackson as someone we know (his visage is found on countless public buildings throughout the city), it just makes sense that Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson would be of interest - not just to me, but to my readers in general and theater lovers in particular. Nashville, you see, is inextricably linked to any version of the Andrew Jackson story you may happen upon, whether it's a Broadway musical (which probably was best-suited to an off-Broadway climate than it was on the main stem) or any of the best sellers that have stocked bookstore shelves in the past decade.

As the first production of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson since it closed on Broadway, director Catherine Coke and music director Ginger Newman bravely bring the controversial musical to life with grand effect: It's a completely entertaining example of "new" musical theater performed by a large group of teenaged actors who approach their subject matter with unbridled glee (the word came before the TV show, just so's you know) and contagious enthusiasm. And I still don't think I've seen a high school production, so I may be safe from the slings and arrows of other schools' faculty members.

And as you might expect, there is a wide range of experience and talent to be found on Jim Manning's gorgeously designed and lighted set: Some performers are obviously destined for future theatrical glory while others may be taking part in their first-ever onstage sojourn. But what is most impressive about this production is the total commitment of the cast and creative team to bring Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson to Nashville audiences who, on opening night at least, proved just as gleeful and as enthusiastic.

Certainly, Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson is musical theater for a new generation - there's still a boy meets girl/boy loses girl storyline (Andy and Rachel meet, join is some mutual bloodletting to drain the bad stuff out of their bodies, withstand public ridicule and then she dies just as he takes office as the seventh president of the United States), but  Alex Timbers' book takes a decidedly contemporary view of Jackson's life, while Michael Friedman's music and lyrics are very much of the moment, of this period in time, which allows for a far more palatable re-telling of Jackson's life and times for today's theater-going audiences.

Director Coke (whose impressive theatrical resume is nothing short of staggering) makes good use of the USN auditorium and, thanks to Manning's imaginative set design, moves her cast over, around and under the playing area to add further kinetic energy to the musical whose heart beats raucously to Friedman's thumping, percussive score.

Sam Douglas' Andrew Jackson is fairly dripping with charisma, his rock-star bravado and thoroughly focused performance ensuring your rapt attention to what transpires onstage. Douglas' performance is as self-assured and confident as any we've seen, belying his youth and showing great promise if he chooses to pursue a career onstage.  He is unwavering in his focus and commitment to the role, which requires him to be charmingly roguish in some scenes, frightening and off-putting in others. His take on the role is unfettered by the normal constraints of musical theater because of the show's assertively youthful vibe and the result is a performance that is really sort of amazing.

Douglas is paired with Abby Horrell, one of Nashville theater's most impressive young thespians, as Rachel and together they will knock your socks off. Horrell has proven herself time and again (her portrayal of Val in The Keeton Theatre's A Chorus Line earlier this year may have taken top honors among a cast of seasoned veterans) and she takes on the role of Rachel with panache, matching Douglas blow by blow, note for note, with her performance. Need more evidence of her estimable talents? The high school senior also choreographed the show.

Giving ample support to Douglas and Horrell are some of Nashville's most capable younger actors (Maya Riley as a cowgirl is but one example), including Cyrus Shick's take on John Calhoun, David Doochin's James Monroe, Adam Hudnut-Beumler's hilariously obsequious Martin Van Buren, Douglas Corzine's Henry Clay and Jack Rayson's John Quincy Adams. The five young men provide much of the comic relief with their no-holds-barred portrayal of some of the best known names in American history. Aidan Watt is impressive as Black Fox, Jackson's Indian emissary, and Sammie Chomsky displays a deft sense of comic timing as The Storyteller. Forest Miller delivers a terrific performance as The Bandleader, interacting smoothly with music director Newman's three-man band of some of Nashville's finest players, including Russell Davis, Dave Thomas and Nick Palmer.

USN's production of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson isn't perfect; far from it, in fact. There are acoustical issues that are just a part of staging a show in a high school auditorium, no matter how nicely appointed the space may be. Sure, the show is a little rough around the edges (not unlike Old Hickory himself) but it's that very raggediness, if you will, that adds to the musical's overall appeal. Clearly, it's the type of show you either love or hate - there's very little gray area to be found among the differing opinions of the show - yet it tells the still relevant story of Jackson's power struggles (I won't bother you with the amazing resonance of the plotline to the tenor of today's political landscape) in such a way that it will engage audiences, perhaps piquing an interest in Tennessee history, while spurring young imaginations to further flights of fancy in the theatrical realm.

- Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson. Book by Alex Timbers. Music and lyrics by Michael Friedman. Directed by Catherine Coke. Music direction by Ginger Newman. Choreographed by Abby Horrell. Presented by University School of Nashville, through November 6.

To post a comment, you must register and login.