The rock star figure: Authenticity, satire and legacy in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (2006)

This article argues that the rock star figure trope found in some rock musicals illustrates bigness by mirroring mechanisms of rock star construction and projecting a connection to the musical audience. In doing so, the article discusses the rock star figure as a character trope utilizing theories of mediated ‘personas’ and rock authenticity. It uses the rock star figure in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (2006) to explore the extension of an onstage crowd that invites the audience into a vicarious connection with Jackson’s historical legacy. When the rock star figure is modelled on an historical figure, the audience member’s role is extended for them to negotiate their interpretation of the character’s historical legacy within contemporary circumstances. In Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, satire, irony and emulation of emo-rock style are layered onto the rock star figure to implicate the audience in contemporary events.