In this darkly funny yet historically accurate story, Andrew Jackson rises from a humble frontier background to battle the British, the Spanish, Native Americans and a young nation’s already calcified political system, bringing populism and the Democratic Party to the American people.
By the time Jackson was elected the country’s seventh president, the “people’s president,” his maverick, egalitarian brand of politics wooed the people and made him the rock star of his age. He was crucial in solidifying the image of vigor and confidence that continues to be identified with Americans today.
But while the country was under Jackson’s spell, some shameful events occurred, including the forced march of Cherokee families out of their native land on The Trail of Tears. Playwright/Director Alex Timbers and composer Michael Friedman portray with both broad comedy and painful irony, a man whose ambition, energy and down home charm couldn’t mask his less admirable traits.