London: Barack Obama's presidential campaign inspired millions. Now, it has inspired a London musical. Obama on My Mind will open at a small London theatre in March.
The play's book, music and lyrics are by US-born writer Teddy Hayes, whose involvement with the Obama campaign in London inspired him to pen the show.
"I wanted to do something like so many other artists wanted to do and I created a music video, and part of that music video entailed me getting involved with the London people who were supporting Obama. And I got a chance to go and work with some of them and meet some of them, and they participated in the video. And being around that I started getting a sense that this was a very excitable time for people, and it was like people were boiling and getting excited and I'd never seen this before. And the more I saw the more I said 'ah, this might be an interesting thing to write about'. And then after thinking about it a while, I said the musical is the way to go with this," said Hayes.
The play originally had a two day sell-out run in London's Barons Court Theatre last October as a workshop and has been revamped for the March run.
Hayes describes the show as a humorous romp set in an Obama campaign office, with songs that mix pop, gospel, jazz, "some Motownish stuff" and even tango. Actor Ellen Verenieks, who plays the uptight controlling campaign manager in the show, says audiences can expect some really, fun dance numbers.
"You get some very funny ones. And you get some slightly over the top ones. Slightly, get me. Slightly over the top ones, one of the fundraisers is singing about money so two dancing girls come out dressed as dollar bills and that goes a bit mad and over the top. A lot of them are really fun, big, dancy numbers, which are lovely," says Ellen.
Despite not actually featuring an Obama in the play, director Tim McAurthur, is confident the musical will pull in the Barack fans.
"I think Obama, because he's so huge and the fever around him, I think lots of people are going to come and see it, because it is about Barack and now he is president as well, I think that adds to the fact that people are going to be intrigued. And I think what Teddy's really clever about, that the show is about the people, and the different people in the office and the different characters. And Obama's campaign was all about the people, and how everyone can be something. And I think it inspired that whole American Dream theory again, which I think America's been lacking in recent years. So yes, it's a bit of fun," says McAurthur.
McAurthur's even extended an open invite to the President himself, should he be free.
"I think he should come and see Obama On My Mind. I think I might drop him a little note and go 'Dear Barack, I'm doing this little musical in London, fancy popping over'," he says with a smile.
The musical will run at the Hen and Chickens Theatre in north London from March 3 to March 21. Another Obama musical ran in Kenya, homeland of the president's late father, in November.
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