BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON<\/p>\n
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Reviewed by Jeffrey R Smith of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle<\/p>\n
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The all new San Francisco Playhouse, at 450 Post, is presently performing BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON by Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman.<\/p>\n
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Victims of their own success, creative genii Bill English and Susi Damilano were crowded out of their former digs at the Jean Shelton complex; now they seat audiences commensurate with the qualitative edge they enjoy within the San Francisco environs; it is worth noting that their bar has quintupled in length.<\/p>\n
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Their current performance piece is a unique hybrid of that occupies the very intersection of rock musical, dark comedy, docudrama and political satire.<\/p>\n
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But don\u2019t be fooled; the music and the comedy are a set up; a conspiracy to lure the audience into a place of vulnerability, susceptibility and receptivity to dark historical truths of American Expansion.<\/p>\n
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The aegis of our American exceptionalism is temporarily lowered and we are led to see ourselves in the boarder, grittier, historical context.<\/p>\n
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As the title suggests, Andrew Jackson was bloody; his carnage was equal parts vengeance, political ambition, military stratagem, hatred and racism.<\/p>\n
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Jackson cleared six states of all pockets of resistance to unbridled American expansion; without Congressional approval he eradicated the Spanish and British influence in the American Southeast.<\/p>\n
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His imperialistic successes inspired America\u2019s patriotic myth of \u201cmanifest destiny;\u201d a myth that was brought to completion by the whole sale annexations of James Polk.<\/p>\n
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Jackson eliminated his enemies both in the territories and Washington D.C. and like most unchallenged rulers he stepped on to that slippery slope of sic semper tyrannis.<\/p>\n
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His excesses lead to the infamous Trail of Tears; a forced march impossible to morally differentiate from the Bataan Death March which was of equal scale.<\/p>\n
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Ashkon Davaran is the star and focus of this show; he commands the stage with high energy, bravado and mesmerizing charisma as he portrays a rustic, accidental leader\u2019s accent to the White House.<\/p>\n
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The music is reminiscent of Green Day, specifically AMERICAN IDIOT, only better under the capable Musical Direction of Jonathon Fadner.<\/p>\n
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Wait until you see the cello player\u2019s finale: simply amazing.<\/p>\n
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A set design, by Award Winning Set Designer\u2014indeed architect\u2014Nina Ball, presages the future of the orphaned pioneer lad in Tennessee.<\/p>\n
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Angel Burgess is absolutely stunning as she plays Jackson\u2019s wife Rachel: a woman with a heart too big and too filled with longing, loneliness and sorrow not to break.<\/p>\n
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Director Jon Tracy has bundled a compelling script, a talented cast and rocking musical score to create what is easily the best happening in San Francisco.<\/p>\n
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It is over-the-top and should not be missed.<\/p>\n
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For tickets call 415-677-9591 or surf on over to sfplayhouse.org.<\/p>\n
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Hurry, your historical perspective might never be the same.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON Reviewed by Jeffrey R Smith of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle The all new San Francisco Playhouse, at 450 Post, is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":124,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[837],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4061","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-joe-cillo"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"