INTERVIEW: New musical comedy tells the story of Barack Obama
Photo: 44: The Musical stars Shanice as Michelle Obama and T.J. Wilkins as Barack Obama. Photo courtesy of Jenny Anderson / Provided by press rep with permission.
T.J. Wilkins has been feeling presidential these past few years. That’s because the celebrated actor and singer has been portraying President Barack Obama in the new comedy 44: The Musical, which is now playing through Dec. 7 at the Daryl Roth Theatre in Downtown Manhattan. Wilkins has been with the show for several iterations over the years, including sold-out runs in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago, and now he and his cast mates are bringing the story of the Obamas to the Big Apple.
“It’s such an honor,” Wilkins said about the role. “We came last year to do a showcase to kind of test the waters, and the showcase was very successful. And then we had successful runs in L.A., like sold-out runs in L.A. and also in Philadelphia and Chicago, so now to be here in the city, trying to make a little noise, is a lot of fun, I must say.”
Eli Bauman is credited as the writer, composer, director and producer of 44: The Musical. Bauman called Wilkins into a studio a few years ago to record demos for the project, and the actor had no real idea what the musical was all about or that he was being considered for the title role.
“We met for the first time,” the actor said. “He told me kind of what he was looking for stylistically, and then from there we just struck up a friendship. And I would go and record the demos for him, and then when he went to put the show on its feet for the first reading, he called me and asked me if I would be President Obama. To be honest with you, I thought he was crazy for asking me, but he knew what he was doing. … So, day one for me was walking in and being surrounded by these accomplished theater actors. I come from more of a TV and film world, and also as a recording artist, so musical theater wasn’t really my forte. So, I felt very intimidated, but being surrounded by so many great actors, I was able to learn from those folks along the way. And here we are.”
The show that is playing the Daryl Roth Theatre is quite different from those early demos that Wilkins was involved in. For starters, the initial version of 44 was approximately four hours long; today’s rendition is little more than two hours.
“Most of the songs that are in the show have been trimmed down tremendously,” Wilkins said. “The show is a lot tighter. The storyline is cohesive. It’s a lot of heart in the show now, and so what you guys are getting here in New York is, in my opinion, a very polished, a very well-put-together show that seems to be thrilling audiences thus far.”
Many audience members walk into 44 thinking they know the story of Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden and the many leaders who dominated American politics for the better part of a decade. Those audience members, though, walk away with a different, deeper interpretation — and a few laughs.
“I think the most common thing that we hear is … that we humanize our characters, so you kind of leave feeling like you know President Obama on a personal level,” said Wilkins, who was on Team Usher on season six of NBC’s The Voice. “You feel like you know Joe Biden on a personal level, Michelle Obama on a personal level. Even our [Sen.] Mitch McConnell is likable in the show, so folks are genuinely surprised that they enjoy it as much as they do. And it’s always such a thrill to see the joy in the room when people leave and talk about how inspired they feel and how joyous they feel being reminded of a time where it seemed that our country was moving toward unity and more togetherness, and so that’s really a special feeling.”
Creating that joy and inspiration each night is a difficult task for Wilkins and his fellow company members. Musical theater, as he’s come to learn, is quite all-consuming and tiring.
“I have to say, the show is deceptively hard, and it took a very seasoned theater vet to tell me that,” he said. “One of my cast members who has been on Broadway and who has toured, he said, ‘Man, the show is deceptively hard. The workload is such that you feel drained, but in the moment it doesn’t feel like that because it’s such a fun show.’ There’s a lot of singing. There’s a lot of dancing. There’s a lot of physical comedy, but in the moment, it just feels like fun. But I definitely have my routine. Once the show is over, I do my warm-downs. I stretch. I hit the massage gun. I do all the things to maintain. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s fun.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
44: The Musical, starring T.J. Wilkins, continues through Dec. 7 at the Daryl Roth Theatre in Downtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
