In Musical Forum's production of "Assassins," written by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, eight figures spanning over a century of American history recount the stories behind their real-life attempted (and sometimes successful) killings of United States presidents through a mixture of metaphor, vignettes and, of course, song.
The show, directed by Adam Mazer '08, imagines a carnival-like setting, overseen by the Proprietor (Kent Haines '07), in which eight assassins select guns and provoke one another, exposing the varying motivations and circumstances surrounding each assassination. The production's overall effect is an engaging (if loud, thanks to the many gunshots) and well-produced piece that fans of American history and musical theater alike will love.
Eight assassins take turns revealing their life stories, led by presidential assassination pioneer John Wilkes Booth (James Rutherford '07, whose greasy "grace and glitter" portrayal of the actor and Confederate sympathizer is one of the production's most compelling). The show employs mostly short vignettes, like the gripping scene between anarchist Emma Goldman (Beth Berger '10) and William McKinley's assassin, Leon Czolgosz (Daniel Gradess '07). Also notable are the long monologues that Samuel Byck (former Herald Opinions Editor Patrick Harrison '08) dictates onto cassette tapes meant for his idol Leonard Bernstein and his would-be victim Richard Nixon.
Several of these narratives are framed by ballads sung by the fresh-faced Balladeer (Byron Asher '08). Asher also portrays Lee Harvey Oswald, John F. Kennedy's killer, whose act is meant to band together and bring significance to the group.
Amid the historical reenactments, imagined interactions among the assassins provide additional insight into the characters, as well as comic relief. Particularly notable scenes include a hilarious interlude between Sara Jane Moore (the show-stopping Alexandra Panzer '08) and Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme (Jaime Rosenstein '10) that ends with the pair trying to kill Gerald Ford (in real life, the women shot independently at Ford 17 days apart, both unsuccessfully). Fromme also later mocks John Hinckley Jr.'s (Christopher Tyler '10) obsession with actress Jodie Foster, which led him to make an attempt on Ronald Reagan's life. Hinckley and Fromme then sing the haunting duet "Unworthy of Your Love," begging Foster and cult leader Charles Manson, respectively, for their affection.
Set in Production Workshop's downstairs space, the "Assassins" set, by Alexander Rosenthal '08, is meager: two platforms are connected by twin staircases, and the cast frequently enters through the space's doors to move through the audience.
Yet the scenes are presented so richly - a trembling Booth recounting his hatred of Lincoln while under siege in a barn, Czolgosz's procession toward McKinley at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, Byck's fury at both Nixon and Burger King - that the set's simplicity allows the viewers to imagine backdrops of their own.
The casting of "Assassins" is by far its strongest attribute. The actors bring a spot-on appearance and unique brand of madness to each assassin. In a gender-bending turn as the shooter of Franklin Roosevelt, Giuseppe Zangara, Liz Encarnacion '09 convincingly conveys her character's fury; one almost forgets her beard stubble is painted on.
Despite the ensemble nature of the show, the actors stand out. Rutherford's Booth, with his slick hair and highfalutin Southern accent, is by far the creepiest (and thus one of the most compelling) players in the show. His smooth persuasion of other would-be assassins and demand that others "not let history rob me of its meaning" throughout the show makes it clear why the Balladeer chants, "Damn you, Johnny. You paved the way for other madmen."
Gradess' weary, tortured idealism as Czolgosz pervades his every moment onstage. Panzer's scatterbrained and perpetually irritated Moore steals every scene she's in, whether through comic relief or her frequent failures, from not killing Ford to reaching for a gun in her handbag and pulling out a high-heeled shoe instead.
Lee Taglin '10, all smiles and friendliness as evangelist, author and wannabe ambassador to France Charles Guiteau, skillfully allows Guiteau's optimism to morph into desperation, which results in the assassination of James Garfield.
Harrison's Byck is so infuriated that he spews beer and chewed hamburger across the stage during his monologues; combined with his absurd Santa Claus suit and more absurd plot to commandeer a plane, crash it into the White House and kill Nixon, Byck becomes almost a caricature - but an effectively terrifying one.
Tyler, as Hinckley, looks more like a nerdy high school student than a 25-year-old assassin. As a result, his letters to Foster and failed attempt on Reagan's life seem more na've and hopeful than sinister or insane. Though perhaps not true to life, this portrayal matches the script's characterization of Hinckley. Tyler also provides a welcome contrast to Rosenstein, whose unnerving intensity as Fromme and vocal choices seem out-of-step with the character's framing as a hippie who sees her lover Manson as the son of God.
Asher's conflicted Oswald is both angry at and interested in the other assassins' ability to persuade him to give their historical footnotes unified significance by killing Kennedy. As a result, the viewer is left with no one idea as to why Oswald chooses to finish Kennedy rather than himself. The lack of definition is a perfect opening for the debate about conspiracies and grassy knolls that Booth says will occur for decades to come.
In all, Musical Forum's "Assassins" is a beautifully cast, effectively staged and fascinating take on the underlying question of why someone would kill the president of the United States. Go for the music and story; stay for the acting, particularly Panzer's. The final performance of "Assassins" is tonight at 8 p.m. in T.F. Green Hall.
