'Assassins' offers harrowing, disturbing experience
Death has figured prominently in some of Stephen Sondheim's most original musicals, from Tony in “West Side Story” and Beadle Bamford in “Sweeney Todd,” to the baker’s wife in “Into the Woods” and Fosca in “Passion.”
But nothing quite equals the grisly horror that unfolds in “Assassins,” Sondheim’s 1991 musical about four U.S. presidents who are killed and five others who are targeted. Lyric at the Plaza opens its 2017 season with this powerful and harrowing musical, one whose numerous gunshots will make viewers squirm in their seats.
Of the four assassins who were successful, the familiar John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald are joined by Charles Guiteau and Leon Czolgosz, the men who shot James Garfield and William McKinley respectively.
Sondheim also introduces Giuseppe Zangara (who was unsuccessful in his attempt on Franklin D. Roosevelt’s life), Samuel Byck (Richard Nixon), Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme and Sara Jane Moore (Gerald Ford) and John Hinckley (Ronald Reagan).
Through a series of vignettes, some comical, others disturbing, “Assassins” informs us of their motivations, their demons and their unfulfilled lives. But what makes the musical so successful is how Sondheim and his collaborator John Weidman humanize these men and women.
Michael Baron has assembled a first-rate cast whose actions deftly blur the line between illusion and reality. And just as any person can grow up to be president, any individual can grow up to be his killer.
“Assassins” culminates with the John F. Kennedy assassination. Matthew Alvin Brown’s Oswald is alternately timid and menacing. As the other assassins appear and galvanize Oswald to shoot Kennedy — an act that will earn his place in history and remind people of theirs — the scene is incredibly vivid and chilling.
Brown doubles as the musical’s balladeer, a minstrel singer whose contributions help fill in the details of the action. It’s an impressive portrayal that showcases Brown’s skillful delivery. He receives fine support from Vince Leseney (the proprietor), D. Lance Marsh (Byck), Ryan Blagg (Zangara), Natalya Ferch (Fromme) and Mark Jammal (Hinckley).
Characterizations that are standouts include Greg White as a sullen and determined Czolgosz, Lyn Cramer as a clumsy and sarcastic Moore, Mateja Govich as a suave and persuasive Booth and Justin Larman as a lively and humorous Guiteau.
David Dabbon masterfully directs the onstage orchestra, an ensemble that is adept at negotiating Sondheim’s challenging musical numbers. With its dark subject matter, “Assassins” is a challenging show to watch. In the end, it drives home the point that the simple act of pulling a trigger can have devastating and long-lasting consequences.