Has life under 47 got you down? If so, head on over to the Kirk Douglas Theatre where 44 The Musical’s rollicking, raunchy, R&B-packed look back at Barack Obama’s first term in office has arrived to provide L.A. audiences with a spirits-lifting respite from the DJT blues.

 The brainchild of Eli Bauman, who not only wrote 44’s book, music, and lyrics but directs the whole shebang with abundant pizzazz, 44 The Musical starts things off with an F-bomb-laced bang (“M.F.O.”) before introducing us to our straight-outta-Scranton host Joe Biden (Chad Doreck), who’ll be recounting the story of our 44th President from his own hazy recollections of the kinda, sort truth. (His words, not mine.)

Enter “Barry” Obama himself (T.J. Wilkins), whose soulful “Red States Blue States” reflects his conviction that there’s only “the United States, and that’s me and you,” though tell that to such Red State foes as Mitch McConnell (Larry Cedar), Sarah Palin (Jane Papageorge), Lindsay Graham (Jeff Sumner), and Ted Cruz (Michael Uribes), or to the woman who would likely have been the democratic pick for President if (according to her) Barack hadn’t cut into the line in front of her (Jenna Pastuszek’s Hillary Clinton).

And of course there wouldn’t be an Obama musical without the woman behind the man (Shanice’s Michelle), whose “First Lady” promises that “when they go low, we go high,” or at least that is until there’s no other option than to fight back.

Along the way, Sarah Palin strips down, way down, to pole dance to the tune of “Drill Me Baby,” Barack, Joe, and Hillary imagine themselves action heroes in “What Would Liam Neeson Do,” and the all-male members of W.H.A.M. (White Heterosexual American Men) plot to bring take down 44, even if it means introducing a black man (Dino Shorté’s Herman Cain) into their midst.

 It isn’t all laughs, however, when a string of school shootings take 44 The Musical into a tonal-shifting second act, one that has our hero wondering if he should maybe just quit after a single term, though Barack hasn’t reckoned with the persuasive power of a black Abraham Lincoln (Marqell Edward Clayton) and a black Ulysses S. Grant (Shorté), whose “Brother Abe Lincoln” may be just what the President needs to announce to the world that “44 Is Back.”

44 The Musical has come a long way since its earliest incarnation at Hollywood’s Bourbon Room with the addition not only of more songs (perhaps too many given that the show runs over two-and-a-half-hours and could stand at least a 15-minute trim) but some new choreography and for the first time ever at the Kirk Douglas, a fully-designed set to give the production a professional veneer.

Bauman’s uber-catchy songs recall the ‘80s/‘90s sounds of such R&B greats as Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Teddy Pendergrass, and ”The Voice” discovery Wilkins gives all of the above some stiff competition in the vocal chops department in addition to an Obamaesque stage presence and some nifty dance moves as well.

And speaking of R&B pipes, they don’t get any more glorious than those of Shanice, whose “I See Your Smile” hit the charts in 1991 and is still high notes some three-and-a-half decades later.

Still, if there’s a breakout star in 44 The Musical, it’s Doreck’s scene-stealing Scranton Joe, a role that allows Doreck to reveal hitherto undiscovered physical comedy gifts to match his Broadway-caliber pop vocals, dance prowess, and leading-man-handsome looks.

 Supporting performances could not be more delicious, from Cedar’s hilariously naysaying Mitch to Papageorge’s sexy stunner of a Sarah (and an 11th-hour Nancy Pelosi thrown in for good measure), to Pastuszek’s spot-on, pants-suit sporting Hillary, to Sumner’s parasol-sporting Southern Bell of a Lindsay, to Uribes’s dead ringer of a Ted Cruz, to Shorté’s Uncle Tomming delight of a Herman, with Sumner scoring bonus drag points as a big-haired Applebee’s customer who can’t help wondering if Barack Obama just might be “too black.”

Summer Nicole Greer’s sublime, soaring vocals make her Voice Of The People a standout, and Clayton not only makes the most of his Oval Office doorman cameo but gets to show off his own powerhouse vocal chops as Brother Abe.

Miss James Alsopp’s choreography combines Soul Train and Broadway to exhilarating effect, and music director Anthony “Brew” Brewster and his live five-piece band provide topnotch accompaniment throughout, vocals and instrumentals impressively mixed by sound designer Jonathan Burke.

Julio Himede, Avigail Gutfeld, and Yellow Studio’s Oval Office set takes 44 The Musical to a whole new level lookswise as do Nathan W. Scheuer’s vibrant lighting and amusing projections and Haley Meeker’s character-identifying costumes.

Celeste Butler, Ally Dixon, and Scott Kruse are understudies.

44 The Musical is presented by Monica Saunders-Weinberg and Bauman. Valerie Klarich is costume consultant. Bridget Rooney is production stage manager and Casey Sotile is assistant stage manager. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA, and Richie Ferris, CSA. Peter Sanders is publicist.

Things may not have been perfect during Barack Obama’s two terms in office, but if ever there was a moment for wishing we could turn back time, that moment is now.

With humor and heart, 44 The Musical reminds us of how good we had it, and how good it feels to recall that one brief shining moment in American history. That it’s a heck of a lot of fun is icing on the cake.

Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Through March 23. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30. Sundays at 1:00.
www.44theobamamusical.com

–Steven Stanley
February 27, 2025
Photos: Bella Marie Adams

Tags: Eli Bauman, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review