NEW YORK — The musical-comedy romp centered on the historic election of former President Barack Obama will make its way to New York City, playing off-Broadway this fall after successful runs in Los Angeles and Chicago.
The aptly titled 44 — written, composed and directed by former Obama campaign staffer Eli Bauman — is scheduled to begin a limited eight-week engagement at The Daryl Roth Theatre on Oct. 14, producers announced Friday.
Tickets are now on sale with a special $44 seat promotion to celebrate the 44th president’s 64th birthday.
Tracing “the rise and presidency of Barack Obama, as well as the eccentric political characters he met along the way,” the award-winning satire is described by producers as “the story of Obama you won’t read about in history books because history books are now banned in most states. But also, because 44 is the story of Obama as Joe Biden kinda sorta remembers it.”
Daily News drama critic Chris Jones said the production “tickled him purple all night long” when it played the Epiphany Center for the Arts in Chicago last year.
A workshop production of 44 — subtitled “The (un)Official, (un)Sanctioned Obama Musical” — played to packed audiences during a four-show engagement last June at Racket NYC.
Actor and singer T.J. Wilkins, a season six standout from The Voice, starred as Barack Obama, while R&B hitmaker Shanice portrayed Michelle Obama. As Biden, renowned voice actor Chad Doreck rounded out the cast, which also included Kevin Bailey, Larry Cedar, Marqell Edward Clayton, Kelley Dorney, and Summer Nicole Greer playing many notable figures in the Obama orbit circa 2008.
Bauman, the son of Sha Na Na singer Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, served as an early political organizer for Obama in Las Vegas and went on to coordinate Veterans Affairs for the president-elect’s 2009 Inaugural Committee.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News (TNS)
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