The production was critically acclaimed, with positive reviews from publications including Broadway World,[7] the Voice of America,[8] and Manhattan Digest.
[9] The New York Times dubbed Baghdaddy "An important, cunning, rock-solid musical comedy with a terrible title," and named it a Critic's Pick.
Including: Blake Erickson (Shrek The Musical), Doug Hansell (Come From Away), Phillip Lowe (Mamma Mia), Laura Murphy (Muriel’s Wedding), Matthew Predny (Kinky Boots), Adam Rennie (The Rocky Horror Show), Katrina Retallick (Come From Away), and Troy Sussman (Aladdin).
The musical takes place in a narrative frame in which the cast and audience attend an AA-style support group for people who started the Iraq War.
The story focuses on the recruitment and eventual disgrace of an Iraqi defector, codenamed "Curveball," and the use and misuse of his testimony by the CIA, State Department, and Bush administration.
This intelligence, which is later discovered to have been fabricated, was used by Secretary of State Colin Powell in his 2003 speech to the UN Security Council to justify the invasion of Iraq and overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
A recently demoted Martin tries to convince Nelson to publish his compendium based on rumors of Saddam Hussein possessing germ weapons ("Marty's Dilemma").
Several weeks later, an Iraqi man shows up at a Germany customs booth claiming to have important information for the CIA ("Stay Preprise").
At the BND, Richart begins another day as a Junior detective ("Das Man"), but gets assigned to interrogate the informant, codenamed Curveball, as he is the only operative that speaks Arabic.
He directs them to Martin, who, although wary of Nelson's involvement, joins the group in hopes of gaining credit for his compendium ("Berry's Dilemma").
Nelson begins finding holes in Curveball's story and contacts Richart, who, although holding onto hope, is conflicted as the interrogations grow more aggressive ("Hydrangea Reports Reprise").
When he is rejected, Nelson threatens to leak the inconsistencies of the case to the press, but hesitantly agrees to keep silent when offered the position of Second-In-Command.