Reviewed
by Judd Hollander
The world has long had a morbid fascination
with those who try to kill public figures, while at the same time trying to
understand what makes them tick. These elements form the building blocks of the
1990 musical Assassins. The show
having recently been given a sterling revival as part of the Encores!
Off-Center series at New York City Center
The story begins in carnival
shooting gallery. The Proprietor (Ethan Lipton) of the establishment intoning the
truism that "everybody's got the right to their dreams", as well as
"to be happy." In this case however, said dreams include the taking
the life of a U.S. President. Among those trying their luck in this endeavor are
John Wilkes Booth (Steven Pasquale), Charles Guiteau (John Ellison Conlee) and Leon
Czolgosz (Shuler Hensley). The respective assassins of Presidents Abraham Lincoln,
James Garfield and William McKinley. Also present are such would-be killers as Lynette
"Squeaky" Fromme (Erin Markey), Sara Jane
Moore (Victoria Clark), Giuseppe Zangara (Alex Brightman) and Samuel Byck
(Danny Wolohan). Rounding out the group are John Hinckley, Jr. (Steven Boyer)
and Lee Harvey Oswald (Cory Michael Smith).
As the story unfolds, the audience
gets to see these people reliving the planning, execution (no pun intended) and
aftermath of their various endeavors. Some of the more interesting moments
occurring, not in the actual act of assassination itself, but in conversations
which take place among the group in a sort of otherworldly waiting area. Where they
talk about their lives, why they did what they did, or what they plan to do
given the chance.
A common sentiment among the
different shooters is how they feel wronged by an uncaring society. They having
become fixated on the President, whomever it happens to be at the time, as the
embodiment of their situation. Therefore, they see killing the
Commander-in-Chief as first, a symbolic action to avenge that wrong; and second,
as a way to focus the entire country's attention on their plight.
Yet as the show makes clear, all of
the assassins portrayed are complete individuals. Each with their own specific
reason for their actions. This feeling of individuality - or aloneness as it
were - is helped tremendously by the fact that the folks at Encores! were able
to assemble a first-rate cast.
Pasquale makes a stirring and
magnetic John Wilkes Booth. A fanatical true believer when it comes to the
Confederate cause, Booth also serving as the unofficial spokesman for those
present. He being the elder statesman of the group.
Elsewhere, Markey and Clark bring the
term "flakey" to a whole new level as Fromme and Moore. Two women who
attempted to kill President Gerald Ford (Damien Baldet) in 1975. The ladies'
actions are so humorous, Moore in
particular having continual problems when handling a gun, that their entire
endeavor would be completely comical if the underlying intent wasn't so serious.
Also combining elements of humor, drama and denial is Conlee, doing an enjoyable
turn as the disgruntled office seeker Guiteau. The character turning into an
apparent song and dance man as he heads for the gallows.
Particularly effective is Hensley
as Leon Czolgosz, a disillusioned member of the lower class who feels, like so
many others, that he has been betrayed by the system. The character striking a poignant
note of humanity when he chastises Hinckley for
accidentally breaking a bottle. Czolgosz pointing out that he is the one of the
people who make such bottles. All while working under very dangers conditions,
and for the sum of six cents an hour.
As sobering as Czolgosz's plight
happens to be, it becomes all the more striking when one realizes how little
things have progressed for those who find themselves outside society's
mainstream. Czolgosz's anger and loneliness can also be found in the words
of Samuel Byck who, in 1974, planned to fly a plane into the White House in
order to kill President Nixon. As Byck sets out on his mission, we hear him
rage about people being reduced to living in packing crates, and how both
Republicans and Democrats keep pledging to fix problems the other side has
caused. Yet, when they do get into positions of power, aren't able to make
things any better. Situations that, for many, haven't really changed in the
more than fifty years since Byck's actions and which now seem more topical than
ever.
Also quite good is a sequence
featuring Lee Harvey Oswald, and which reveals perhaps the ultimate goal of all
those who pull the trigger. The desire, no matter how frustrating or
unremarkable their lives have been thus far, to least be remembered for their
final act. Though as some find out, they are not always remembered as how they
would have liked.
Wisely, other than a few tweaks
here and there to allow for the Encores! staging, there were no major changes made
to John Weidman's text. One which makes no mention of the current U.S. administration.
Though lines about the country going in the wrong direction and about a madman
coming along did provoke a large amount of laughter from the audience. The
score by Stephen Sondheim is both enjoyable and probing. The opening song,
“Everybody’s Got the Right” being one of the more ominously ironic numbers in
the Sondheim canon. Also quite memorable is the haunting “Something Just
Broke”, which shows how most of us remember exactly where we were, and what we
were doing, when we heard the news of a president being shot.
Anne Kauffman's direction is very strong,
allowing each of the actors to hold their own when their characters take their
turn in the spotlight. They all eloquently pleading their cases to the
audience, no matter how misguided or deluded they may actually be. The show
also avoids the problem of becoming too repetitive in the different sequences,
by continually altering the tone of the various assassination attempts. These
ranging from fanatical to comic, and from acts of retribution to ones of
hopeless desperation. The changes in mood are also helped by Clifton Duncan's
efforts as the Balladeer. This character helping to inject some of the lighter
elements of the Sondheim score into the tale while the more serious issues are
played out around him.
As timely and topical now as when
it first appeared, Assassins takes a
thoughtful look at those disenfranchised souls who try to make a real
difference by upsetting the status quo. A difference at least, in their own
minds. Hands-down, this one was a winner. Broadway revival anyone?
Featuring: Ethan Lipton (Proprietor), Shuler Hensley (Leon
Czolgosz), Steven Boyer (John Hinckley), John Ellison Conlee (Charles Guiteau),
Alex Brightman (Giuseppe Zangara), Danny Wolohan (Samuel Byck), Erin Markey
(Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme), Victoria Clark (Sara Jane Moore), Steven
Pasquale (John Wilkes Booth), Clinton Duncan (Balladeer), Andrew Durand (David
Herold/Ensemble), Pearl Sun (Emma Goldman/Ensemble), Eddie Cooper (James
Blaine/Ensemble), Hudson Loverro (Billy/Ensemble), Damian Baldet (President
Gerald Ford/Ensemble), Cory Michael Smith (Lee Harvey Oswald), Eryn LeCory
(Ensemble).
Assassins
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by John Weidman
Assassins is based
on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr.
Orchestrations by Michael Starobin
Scenic Designer: Donyale Werle
Costume Designer: Clint Ramos
Lighting Designer: Mark Barton
Sound Designer: Leon Rothenberg
Music Coordinator: Seymour
Red Press
Encores! Off-Center Artistic Associate: Sam Pinkleton
Production Stage Manager: Adam John Hunter
Casting by Carrie Gardner, C.S.A./Stephen Kopel, C.S.A.
Choreography by Lorin Latarro
Music Director and Conductor: Chris Fenwick
Associate Music Director: Greg Jarrett
Assistant Music Director: Josh Clayton
Directed by Anne Kaufman
Presented by
Closed: July 15,
2017
No comments:
Post a Comment