On opening night of “44 The Musical,” director Eli Bauman stood before the audience and instructed them to pretend they had never heard of the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, he asked them to go back to 2008, when HOT 99.5 was pumping out Katy Perry and D.C. felt on the brink of political change.
”The truth of the matter is this show, which happens to be about politics, actually feels like an escape, " says Bauman.
“44” tells the story of the Obama presidency from the perspective of a go-lucky Biden, wistfully observing the trials of Barack (played by T.J. Wilkins) and Michelle (played by Shanice Wilson-Knox) as they navigate their life in the White House. Written and directed by Bauman, a TV writer and former Obama campaign organizer, it’s a “Hamilton-esq” wet liberal fantasy that had the entire crowd singing “He’s motherfucking Obama” while they fondly reminisced about a bygone era.
Since premiering in L.A. in 2022, the show has been bouncing from city to city in a four-year quest to make itself Broadway-ready. Now, it’s playing at the Shakespeare Theater in D.C. until May 10.
Bauman said that D.C. has been their favorite crowd so far and the shows have consistently been sold out on Fridays and Saturdays.
“There's just a certain level of knowledge [in D.C.] that makes everything land,” said Bauman, “I feel like they've picked up the most on the nuance-y stuff, and also I feel like they could really use a laugh.”
The whole cast sings the closing number. (Courtesy of “44”)
I can’t imagine a more fitting or enthusiastic crowd than the one that filled the Shakespeare Theater last Thursday night. The show’s two hours were packed with Motown grooves, Sarah Palin scream-singing “drill me baby!” in her bra, and jokes that only the most entrenched 2008 hill staffers could decipher. I must admit, even I had a hard time keeping it together when Hilary Clinton whipped off her pantsuit to reveal…another pantsuit.
The audience's frenzy reached its peak when Biden started dancing awkwardly to gogo — a song added specifically for the show’s D.C. run. It was almost as painful as watching Justin Timberlake's “beat yo feet” incident. (Though, some semblance of self-awareness made it more endearing.)
It was an unabashed love-letter to the Obamas. Though, unfortunately, despite the actors’ great performances, the ungainly reverence given to the first couple makes their scenes some of the most boring in the whole show. Especially when compared to the outrageous but poignant satirical treatment given to Hillary Clinton, Mitch McConnell, and the show's other front-runners.
Bauman first had the idea to write “44” the day after Donald Trump was first elected president. Like many people, he found himself grappling with the question of “what the hell happened?”
”This felt like my attempt at reconciling that question,“ he explained.
It wasn’t until Covid that Bauman said the changes started to become relevant to him personally, pushing him to put pen to paper.
”During COVID it felt more and more relevant to me. And I just had time all of a sudden to do something that, quite frankly, would make no money.”
He never expected it to take off, but said that luck and a few key early decisions set the show up for success.
“There's no Trump in it, and our Biden is 45 years old and has a six pack,” explained Bauman. “Those two decisions made the show somewhat Teflon to the chaos going around.”
Michelle and Obama getting naughty. (Courtesy of “44”)
According to Bauman, only one character from the show has ever contacted him; Sarah Palin. Apparently, she absolutely loves the clips she has seen of herself in the show. Which is somewhat surprising as she spends much of it shirtless grinding up against an American flag pole.
“ I think actual Sarah Palin was like, Ooh! I look hot. And was very interested in coming to witness that for herself,” explained Bauman. So, maybe not so surprising after all.
At the end of the show, I was left wanting more and was distraught when Bauman told me they had to cut a whole 90s boy-band-style number called “Gay for the NRA” about Republicans being in love with their guns.
“It was a pure banger. I stand by that, but the audiences…it was just too much for them to handle,” said Bauman. I assured him D.C. audiences would have absolutely raged to it.
Instead, a projection of the Obama family holding hands during inauguration gave a heavy handed-end to our quick but hopeful trip down memory lane. After the show, the harsh comedown to reality was only somewhat comforted by free slices from Gordon Ramsey’s pizza joint and riding a CaBi home in the (finally) warm spring night.
