"Burning Bush: A Faith-Based Musical" Returns to Take Politics Seriously

It features rubber frogs, a folk-singing First Lady, and the President's childhood envisioned as a parody of The Who's "Tommy." But the bloggers who created "Burning Bush" are trying to say something.

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 25, 2005

It features rubber frogs, a folk-singing First Lady, and the President's childhood envisioned as a parody of The Who's "Tommy." But the bloggers who created "Burning Bush" are trying to say something.

Even its creative team is hard-pressed to describe "Burning Bush: A Faith Based Musical," which enjoyed a sold-out premiere at the HERE Arts Center in September, and has now been extended through October 16. Political bloggers Noah Diamond and Amanda Sisk, who wrote and directed the show, describe it alternately as "political vaudeville," "a live, satirical documentary," and, of course, "a faith-based musical." Whatever it may be, "Burning Bush" returns to HERE, 145 Sixth Avenue (between Spring and Broome), Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights from October 7 to October 16. Tickets, $15, are available at http://www.here.org, or (212) 868-4444.

Diamond and Sisk, who produced last year's Republican Convention satire "City Under Siege" and the daily blog Nero Fiddled (noahdiamond.com/nerofiddled), insist that their latest creation is both comedic and substantive. "It's very funny," Diamond promises, "but the points it makes are serious. Hopefully, the laughs are cathartic."

"Burning Bush" reflects the growing prominence of political blogs, which in recent years have become a significant part of the national conversation. Some of the material in the script is taken directly from Nero Fiddled, and Mr. Diamond's Narrator, he says, "speaks in the voice of my articles." According to its authors, "Burning Bush" is the first musical based on a blog.

They say the piece is "not just a spoof," citing its researched approach to 9/11, the elections, the Iraq war, and the role of religion in politics. (The climactic sequence includes a confrontation in the Oval Office between Bush and Jesus.) The playbill refers readers to activist groups, blogs, and a website which provides notes and sources for the show. "A lot of Bush's dialogue," Diamond says, "is taken from things he's actually said, but they certainly sound like jokes."

And what about those rubber frogs? "It seems that when our president was a child," Ms. Sisk explains, "he tortured frogs. This was in the New York Times. We think it's a key to his psychosis, and a great idea for a musical number." The songs, accompanied by members of the rock band Death Mask, include titles such as "On the March," "Jesus's Jihad" and "Alberto Gonzales, You’re Torturing Me!"

Diamond and Sisk believe that their show is something special, and the success of its initial run indicates that audiences agree. Diamond jokes that the production is "rigidly nonpartisan," but it's clear that their take on the Bush presidency is a disapproving one. According to a recent entry on the Nero Fiddled blog, "Burning Bush" is "the funniest musical ever to demand the impeachment of a terrorist dictator."

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