A brand-new stage production inspired by the social media buzz around Luigi Mangione, the main suspect in the high-profile shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has become one of San Francisco’s hottest tickets. “Luigi the Musical” is set to debut at the Taylor Street Theatre on June 13, and all five scheduled performances have reportedly already sold out, more than a month before opening night, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The satirical musical was created by Nova Bradford, Arielle Johnson, André Margatini, and Caleb Zeringue. Set inside Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, the show features Mangione alongside two other notorious figures: rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, who faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who is embroiled in a major financial scandal. These characters, according to Zeringue (who also co-wrote and produces the show while playing a prison guard), symbolize the breakdown of trust in major American institutions-health care, Hollywood, and big tech.
“These three people represent these big pillars of institutions in society that are failing in their trust: health care, Hollywood and then Big Tech,” Zeringue reportedly told the Chronicle.
Inspired in part by the Tony Award-winning musical “Chicago,” the show was written in just two months by Johnson and Bradford. While “Luigi the Musical” is primarily a comedy, its creators emphasize that they are neither glorifying nor trivializing the serious allegations facing the real-life figures.
“We’re not valorizing any of these characters, and we’re also not trivializing any of their actions or alleged actions. Comedy inherently plays at the margins of social acceptability,” Bradford explained, noting the team’s careful approach to the sensitive subject matter.
Meanwhile, the real Luigi Mangione remains at the center of a federal murder case. Last month, the 26-year-old pleaded not guilty to four federal charges related to the December killing of Thompson. Mangione also faces additional charges in Pennsylvania and New York, with his legal team arguing that prosecuting him in multiple states would constitute double jeopardy. His next court date is scheduled for June 26.