Latest news with #Luigi:theMusical
Fox News
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Luigi Mangione musical opening in San Francisco
A satirical play based on UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione will debut next month in San Francisco. "Luigi: The Musical" is a comedy show centered on Mangione, 26, the Ivy League graduate accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, in December outside a Hilton hotel in New York City. The show's website calls it a "campy, surreal, funny" and "emotionally honest" take on the cultural fascination surrounding Mangione's case that imagines him "sharing a prison with real-life inmates Sam Bankman-Fried and Sean 'Diddy' Combs." On the play's Instagram account, the actor playing Mangione is shown singing a line about the events that led up to his arrest that goes, "flash those pearly whites, there were cameras there that night, and that's what let the police take me in." The 60-minute show will debut at Taylor Street Theater on June 13. Tickets for its entire run are currently sold out, but more dates will be announced soon. The creators of the show clarified that it was "not a celebration of violence of any kind" or intended to send a message about the "ongoing legal matter." "Our hearts go out to the family of Brian Thompson, and we acknowledge the pain and complexity surrounding this case," they wrote on the show's website. The satirical show will instead explore "deeper cultural questions" about why Mangione has been celebrated by some and ask why Americans have become disillusioned by institutions like "healthcare, tech and Hollywood." "Our hope is that Luigi: the Musical makes people laugh---and think. We're not here to make moral proclamations. We're here to explore, with humor and heart, how it feels to live through a time when the systems we're supposed to trust have stopped feeling trustworthy," the show's website says. Mangione has gotten praise on some corners of the left for allegedly killing the healthcare executive. The suspect's supporters on social media have argued that Thompson's murder was morally justified because of the resentment people feel towards America's healthcare industry. Mangione's supporters have raised over $967,000 for his legal defense fund in the past five months. Mangione pleaded not guilty last week to federal charges of stalking, murder through a firearm, and other firearms offenses during an arraignment hearing. Federal prosecutors indicated last week that they intend to seek the death penalty. Fox News' Adam Sabes contributed to this article.
The Hill
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
‘Luigi the Musical,' about accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer, to debut in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — From the killer barber of 'Sweeney Todd,' to Stephen Sondheim's 'Assassins,' musicals have long dealt with morbid subject matter. Now a musical comedy based on Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of gunning down the CEO of a healthcare company, is on its way to San Francisco. 'Luigi the Musical,' is billed as: 'A story of love, murder and hash browns,' is due to open in June at the Taylor Street Theatre, formerly the Exit Theatre. Mangione, who was arrested as the prime suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and has pleaded not guilty in the case, shares the same real-life prison as FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs. Although it is unlikely he's actually cellmates with either, in the show, Mangione's character navigates 'friendship, justice, and the absurdity of viral fame,' with the two by his side, per the release. The show is described as a 'wildly irreverent, razor-sharp comedy that imagines the true story of Luigi Mangione, the alleged corporate assassin turned accidental folk hero.' The film features other famous characters, including convicted crypto-fraudster Bankman-Fried, and Combs, a former rap mogul turned accused sex trafficker. 'Bold, campy, and unafraid, ' Luigi: the Musical ' is both laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly thoughtful,' according to the play's production company. 'If you like your comedy smart and your show tunes with a criminal record, Luigi is your new favorite felony.' The show is directed by Nova Bradford and features original music and lyrics by Arielle Johnson. Johnson, Bradford, and co-writer Caleb Zeringue, are all involved in the local SF comedy scene. Andre' Margatini, another Bay Area comic, is also credited as a co-writer on the show. Mangione will be portrayed by Petaluma-based actor and comic, Jonny Stein, who admittedly bears some resemblance to the accused murderer. The 60-minute show makes its debut on Friday, June 13 and is currently scheduled for five sold-out performances.
