Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – John Doyle’s seemingly laidback CSC revival of Sondheim & Weidman’s ASSASSINS rings with horrifying familiarity

• By drediman
• December 15, 2021
• No Comments

Company on Broadway isn’t the only high profile New York production of a Stephen Sondheim musical currently on the boards. The other, as you may well know, is the sold out Classic Stage Company revival of Assassins directed by frequent Sondheim interpreter John Doyle (who has announced that this season will be his final one as CSC’s artistic director). The offbeat concept musical originally premiered Off-Broadway in 1990 and has since been revived a number of times (most notably a landmark 2005 Broadway revival). Each time, this fantasia about the men and women behind U.S. presidential assassinations attempts has acquired increased depth and resonance, which only highlights the musical’s genius ability to morph with the times.

If any works in the Sondheim canon are an ideal fit for Mr. Doyle’s ensemble approach to theater-making, the revue-like Assassins –which features a memorable pastiche score in various modes of Americana and a deceptively unobtrusive but layered book by John Weidman – would surely be high on the list (as would Company, which he already staged on Broadway in 2006). For his seemingly laidback CSC production, the British director has applied his trademark minimalist aesthetic, complete with his favorite Brechtian device of having several members of the company also play instruments. The main visual motif of the staging is the American flag, and its blatant presence throughout the show implores audiences – simply yet persistently – to assess what it actually stands for. Where the production perhaps comes across a little deficiently is its muddled sound design. While I appreciate the production’s attempt at sonic intimacy, the venue’s thrust configuration makes for an acoustically uneven experience, with the slightly amplified lyrics coming in and out of focus based on the blocking at any given moment.

The cast is comprised of some of New York’s most accomplished working stage actors. What’s striking about Mr. Doyle’s Assassins is how frighteningly real these “characters” have become, as emphasized by the everyman quality exuded by many of the performers. Notable standouts in the exemplary company include Steven Pasquale as a forceful John Wilkes Booth, Will Swenson as a frighteningly unhinged Charles Guiteau, and Judy Kuhn – hilariously playing against type – as an uncommonly nuanced Sara Jane Moore. Perhaps the most unsettling moment in the show is when the entire company convenes to sing a startling “Another National Anthem”, which rings with horrifying familiarity, especially when they collectively demand “Where’s my prize!” Indeed, these aren’t just rarified extremists onstage anymore, but a substantial, growing population of entitled, angry citizens simmering in our midst (as proven by the events of January 6).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

ASSASSINS
Off-Broadway, Musical
Classic Stage Company
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Through January 29