About Time You Saw… AssassinsBy Gilly Hopper
Amidst a wave of patriotism, Assassins opened off-Broadway in 1990, debuting during the political tension of the first Gulf War. By the autumn of 2001, the Studio 54 theatre was scheduled to open Assassins on Broadway, but the show’s premiere was postponed in the wake of 9/11. Raising questions about the purpose of the USA, and what people expect from it, this aspirational work challenges many of the beliefs that are fundamental to American Society. Ironically, it has a knack for cropping up during periods of great abjection…
Image credit – Nobby Clark
Based on an idea by Charles Gilbert Jr., Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and John Weidman (book), Assassins reviews the condition of the American psyche and exposes the underside of the American Dream. Under Jamie Lloyd’s direction, this production provides a volatile portrayal of the thirteen people who have tried to kill various presidents of the United States. The show’s narrative is kookily strung together by the lives of these now infamous misfits, whose actions were reportedly propelled by everything from political motivations to personal grievances, insanity and passion.
Image credit – Nobby Clark
John Wilkes Booth (assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, played by Gossip Girl/Les Miserables star Aaron Tveit) and Lee Harvey Oswald (assassin of President John F. Kennedy, played by Jamie Parker), are presented alongside forgotten mavericks such as Giuseppe Zangara (Stewart Clarke), who attempted to assassinate Franklin D. Roosevelt. Meanwhile we see Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme and Sara Jane Moore (both would-be assassins of President Gerald Ford), meet and discuss their motivations (as well as various daddy issues) over a KFC bucket.
Image credit – Nobby Clark
Assassins’ stellar cast (which includes comedienne Catherine Tate) coaxes and vexes the audiences with rapturous song while West Side Story throwbacks abound in choreography sets. Awash funhouse confetti, the hyper-surrealism of this show sways and intoxicates, and while hanging overhead HIT and MISS signs border the stage’s extremities, there’s no questioning the Menier Chocolate Factory’s latest production is an absolute bull’s-eye.
Image credit – Nobby Clark
Until 7th March, menierchocolatefactory.com
