“Luigi the Musical” is a Gross Misstep in the Name of Camp
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
I’m all for pushing boundaries in the arts. Satire has its place. Camp can be hilarious. But a new musical comedy, LUIGI THE MUSICAL, premiering in San Francisco this June, based on the real-life murder case involving Luigi Mangione, crosses a line.
The musical follows Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as he shares a prison cell with disgraced tech executive Sam Bankman-Fried and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Based on the press release, it appears the musical will be looking at Luigi Mangione’s crime as a statement on our healthcare system rather than, well, a cold-blooded murder.
The creators—Nova Bradford, Arielle Johnson, André Margatini, and Caleb Zeringue—call Luigi the Musical a campy social satire about viral fame, institutional failure, and friendship behind bars. "There’s something campy about the whole ‘good guy with a gun’ premise,” Johnson said.
This is not a quirky, made-up tale about an unhinged villain. This is a real tragedy. A man is dead. A family is grieving. And yet, here we are, with a creative team staging a splashy, high-concept musical about the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The show features a toe-tapping jailhouse number about regretting a McDonald’s order. I wish I were joking.
And let’s get this out of the way: our healthcare system has significant problems. I should know, my wife has been battling cancer for several years now. I’m fully aware of our healthcare system’s shortcomings and how much better (and cheaper) her care would be in certain other countries.
There’s a great musical to be made lampooning the system while making a statement, This isn’t it.At what point does satire stop being thoughtful commentary and become cruel exploitation? The case is still fresh. The shockwaves are still rippling. Families are still reeling. And this team is busy choreographing dance breaks to go with the bloodshed.
I know some people will argue, “It’s art! It’s meant to be provocative!” But that argument falls apart when the provocation comes at the expense of real human pain. People may claim that this musical is punching up at our healthcare system, but in reality, it's punching down at Brian Thompson’s friends and family. When art punches down—when it turns a family’s recent trauma into someone else’s opening number—it stops being meaningful and starts being mean.
No matter how you feel about the accused—whether you see him as a cautionary tale about privilege, a case study in mental illness, or just another man who allegedly snapped—building a musical comedy around him feels gross. It’s too soon. The trial hasn’t even started. Families haven’t had their day in court. But sure, let’s add a kickline and call it critique.
And yeah, I get it. Writing this might be giving the show exactly what it wants: attention. But not saying anything feels worse. Because if those of us who love this art form don’t speak up when something crosses a line, we lose the right to act surprised when people stop taking theater seriously.
Let’s also be real—this is going to be weaponized. I can already hear the clips being played on conservative social media. “Look at these theater people, glamorizing murder while the case is still pending.” It plays right into the worst stereotypes about our community being out of touch, morally rudderless, and addicted to provocation for provocation’s sake.
This isn’t edgy. This isn’t brave. It’s exploitation with a sequin budget.