ArtsWest Presents the Northwest Premiere of BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, 9/19-10/20

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is a sharp-witted musical comedy about the life of America's original political maverick that reimagines and reinvents the life of President Andrew Jackson, and sets it to an infectious emo rock score. In keeping with the mission of ArtsWest, it's a fiercely compelling event that will surely inspire conversation. It's a blast from the past that parallels today's political climate, depicting the birth of Democracy soaked in Emocracy and testosterone. The show reveals our nation's growing pains, and those of Jackson himself. He was unexpectedly famous, and thrust into leading a country. He is sometimes called the American Hitler. He asked for forgiveness rather than permission for what he did.

It was a must-see at the New York Public Theater before it moved to Broadway where it was awarded Tony nominations for Best Book and Best Score. And now we bring you the Northwest premiere, as we kick off our 2012-2013 theater season with a bang! Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson opens at ArtsWest on September 19.

Andrew Jackson was our nation's first rock star, launched of the people, by the people, and for the people into the presidency as a young man, not at all ready for fame, or responsibility. He was handsome, charismatic, drunk, brilliant, and troubled. He invented the Democratic Party, drove the Indians west and the women wild, and ultimately doubled the size of our nation. He married a woman who was married to another man, and the pair engaged in blood sports to release the pain and tension they felt. And as he was doing grave damage to the tribes across our country, Andrew Jackson was raising his own adopted Creek son.

Director Christopher Zinovitch says, "When I first came across Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson I was immediately intrigued by Alex Timbers' book, and I loved the fact that he used Andrew Jackson as a metaphor for a nation in transition, learning to grow up while in the public eye. Yes, it's based on the life of Andrew Jackson, but it's also about you, me, any reality TV star, or pop star, and it's about every leader, ruler and country ever known." Join us for this fantastic show!