"Assassins" Will Make You Listen Far After the Curtain Call

Written & Edited by: Abigail Hunter

I never thought I'd find myself watching a musical entirely about people who tried to kill the presidents, but that's exactly what happened Wednesday night when I stepped into the dark carnival that is E-52's production of Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins." I went in with very little knowledge of the show except for the composer and a general idea, and I was shocked to find that the show had me negotiating human behavior the entire time. A couple of times as vocals soared I forgot that I was watching a show about the men and women who tried to kill the leader of the free world-- but in a way, they were trying to achieve a sort of freedom, too. From the very first song, the cast put out the idea that there was going to be a tightrope the audience needed to walk with them-- was John Wilkes Booth a madman or a hero? The start of a long line of anarchists or a man who wanted to stop defending endless war that made the president look good, but made everyone else around him perish? After all, the first number tells us boldly, "everybody's got the right to be happy."

The message of following dreams come up a lot. It just so happens that for the 9 men and women featured in the "assassins" part of the cast, the dream was to gain respect, love, peace, or prosperity. They thought the only way to achieve their dreams was to kill the president. One particular dream that I found particularly interesting was the idea of making someone fall in love after proving worth. John Hinckley, played by Max Pokropski, thought if he killed Ronald Reagan actress Jodi Foster would fall in love with him and answer his phone calls. Lynette Fromme, played by Jules Lowman, wanted to impress Charles Manson and spread his message as the son of God in killing Gerald Ford. Together, Pokropski and Lowman produced an emotional, gorgeous rendition of "Worthy of Your Love" that made me feel oddly sympathetic for them.

But their duet was not the only song that sent chills down my spine. From the first note, Abby Badro as the Proprietor sent me reeling every time she opened her mouth. I was intrigued to learn more about the different killers of history, and the Proprietor was sure to tell a more unbiased story of their lives than they were. Some notable performances also include Christian Reilly as the Balladeer, whose performance kept the story bright and zippy while also bringing a kind of sincerity that grounded the story in the 21st century, and Chris Johnson, whose performance as John Wilkes Booth was the initial reason I started to think this show was unique to anything else I'd seen in a while. And I cannot forget to mention the "imposing figure" lingering in the background with the cheeriest song of the whole show, Mr. Charles Guitaeu, played by Grayson Ziegler. A delight, truly.

The players work overtime to bounce from scene to scene, and I want to applaud them for making the story make sense between time periods and killers. Their harmonies were tight and despite them getting used to their mics, I could tell they were giving it their all. If you get the chance, see Assassins this weekend. And remember... everybody's got the right to their dreams.