‘Ghost of John McCain’ musical makes late script change ahead of off-Broadway opening

PHOENIX – Mirroring this year’s presidential election, the off-Broadway musical comedy “Ghost of John McCain” is making a late script change featuring Kamala Harris.

The political satire’s writers were forced to scramble when President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid last month, thrusting Harris into spotlight.

There wasn’t much time to adjust. Previews are set to begin Sept. 3 at New York’s SoHo Playhouse. The official run is scheduled for Sept. 24 through Nov. 5, which is Election Day.

“Ghost of John McCain” takes place inside Donald Trump’s mind, where the titular Arizona political icon finds himself stuck in the afterlife.

During his journey, McCain encounters a Greek chorus that includes Biden, Hillary Clinton, Eva Peron, Teddy Roosevelt, Taylor Swift, Kanye West and a host of other political and pop culture figures.

And now, Harris has entered the narrative. The Democratic presidential nominee will debate her Republican opponent as part of the story. In real life, Trump pulled out of a debate scheduled for Sept. 10 on ABC and said he’d appear in one Sept. 4 on Fox, although nothing has been finalized.

The producers announced last week that Zonya Love will portray Harris in the newly written role. The full cast and creative team haven’t yet been revealed.

Who is behind the “Ghost of John McCain” musical?

“Ghost of John McCain” is directed by Catie Davis, whose credits include work as associate director for the Broadway hits “Beetlejuice” and “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”

Co-producer Jason Rose conceived the political satire along with another late Arizona political icon, Grant Woods, who died in 2021. Woods, a former state attorney general and top aide for McCain, was a longtime Republican who became a Democrat in 2018 in response to the direction Trump was taking the GOP. Outside of politics, Woods was an attorney and aspiring playwright.

“The timing for this production is extremely relevant. Our goal is not to be just another poker turning up the heat, but to bring some relief, relevance and comedy to everyone in the body politic,” Rose said in a press release when plans for the production were unveiled in April.

“We may be in a presidential election year, but this is an evergreen story anchored by the tension and dynamic between two titans of the past century. The musical is surreal.”

Rose’s work may be familiar to Valley theater fans. His Scottsdale company, Quixote Productions, created two topical plays that premiered at Phoenix Theater Company in recent years, “¡Americano!” and “Tiananmen.” ¡Americano! went on to an off-Broadway run.

McCain’s daughter isn’t a fan of new musical

However, McCain’s daughter is not a fan of the project.

“This is trash — nothing more than a gross cash grab by mediocre desperate people. I hope it bombs,” Meghan McCain said in an April post on X.

This is trash – nothing more than a gross cash grab by mediocre desperate people.

I hope it bombs. https://t.co/aGShaEwP4K

— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) April 2, 2024

Trump often clashed with John McCain and has made multiple disparaging remarks about him, both before and since the longtime U.S. senator’s death in 2018.

In another X post, Meghan McCain said she didn’t know the people who made the stage show and called it “disrespectful to my family and father’s memory” and “just as gross as what Trump has done himself.”

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