[NEohioPAL] Assassins review: Fran Heller-CJN

[Martin Friedman]

‘Assassins’ at Lakeland is killer!
By Reviewed by FRAN HELLER
Contributing Writer
Published: Friday, February 11, 2011 1:06 AM EST
Toward the end of “Assassins,” Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Grand Guignol 
masterpiece about the murder and attempted murder of nine American presidents, 
the characters predict the devastating impact of John F. Kennedy’s assassination 
on this country and the world.

For those in the audience old enough to remember that pivotal moment, including 
this reviewer, it was a turning point in our lives, when the loss of ideals and 
our innocence changed us forever.

This stark scene, among others, is sensitively drawn in the superb production of 
“Assassins” at Lakeland Civic Theatre through Feb. 20. Artistic director Martin 
Friedman’s imaginative and understated take on the musical is flawless and 
brilliant, a theatrical gem that thrusts us into a grim chapter of our nation’s 
political history.

It takes courage to mount a show as controversial as “Assassins.” It also takes 
considerable skill. The Lakeland production projects both in spades.

Most feel-good musicals offer escapism. What Sondheim gives us in this show is a 
mirror, and the reflection isn’t pretty.
“Assassins” was first mounted as an off-Broadway production in 1990. Its brief 
run was a critical and box-office flop. I saw the 2004 Broadway revival (a 
winner of five Tonys), and in some ways I prefer the more intimate Lakeland 
production.

Whereas the lavish Broadway show was staged as a carnival with lots of bells and 
whistles, Lakeland’s spare production gets to the heart of the musical without 
distraction. Sondheim is not an easy read, and in the Lakeland show, the viewer 
can absorb the complex and cerebrally demanding lyrics without being sidelined 
by spectacle.

Designer Trad A Burns fills the stage with a stairwell suggesting the steps 
leading up to the nation’s Capitol. At the top is a black abyss. Such simplicity 
and subtlety work beautifully within the musical’s framework. Burns’s lighting 
bathes the milieu in lurid red hues and bloodstained shadows that add a gory 
atmosphere to the dark subject matter.

 “Assassins” is an ensemble piece, and the cast is perfection. Under Friedman’s 
fluid direction, troupe members interact without skipping a beat, and there 
isn’t one weak link among them. The almost two-hour production (presented 
without intermission) held me in rapt attention start to finish.

The musical’s principal weakness is Weidman’s book, written as a series of 
sketches, ranging from serious to farcical, rather than a sustained narrative.

“Assassins,” at its core, is not solely about America’s fascination with guns 
(although there is lots of gun toting and gunshot throughout the production), 
but an indictment of ruthless capitalism and the elusive American Dream. 
Sondheim’s scorching lyrics describe America as a paradox, a country which 
allows a person to be all that he or she can be and at the same time serves as a 
bitter pill to swallow for those who fail to catch the brass ring.

The play delves into the psychological mindset of these nine real-life assassins 
and would-be assassins, all of whom suffered from some kind of rejection, 
self-delusion, rage and/or disappointment. Despite the sordid plot, there is a 
liberal sprinkling of gallows humor throughout.

As the play opens, the assassins enter one by one, purchasing their guns from 
the Proprietor (James J. Jarrell), suited up in modern dress by costumer Craig 
Tucker as a slick salesman hawking his wares.

Aaron D. Elersich charms as the Balladeer, a singing narrator/Greek chorus in 
the style of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.  The Balladeer’s sardonic songs 
serve as running commentary on the action.

Scott Esposito is outstanding as John Wilkes Booth, a.k.a. the “pioneer” of 
assassins, because his shooting of Abraham Lincoln made him the first to kill an 
American president. The (imaginary) confrontation between Booth and Lee Harvey 
Oswald (the excellent Curt Arnold), in which Booth begs a reluctant Oswald to 
murder President Kennedy and ensure immortality for all the assassins, is one of 
the production’s many high points.

Providing comic relief are Neely Gevaart as Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme (a follower 
and the lover of Charles Manson) and Amiee Collier as the much-married and 
wannabe radical Sara Jane Moore, both of whom attempt to kill Gerald Ford at 
different times but bungle the job. These fine actors balance the macabre and 
the humor just right.

A pudgy, bespectacled Kevin Becker is perfect as the pathologically shy and 
awkward John Hinckley Jr., who tries to capture film star Jodie Foster’s 
attention with an unsuccessful attempt on the life of President Reagan. One of 
the most touching scenes is the meeting between Hinckley and Fromme, each 
holding a photograph of the one they obsessively adore in their hands. Their 
poignant duet “Unworthy of Your Love” is a melodic rarity in an otherwise 
undistinguished score. Music director John Krol and orchestra embellish the 
vocal numbers without overpowering them.

Kevin Joseph Kelly is terrific as the delusional Charles Guiteau, who kills 
President Garfield and hangs from a noose for his crime. Brint Learned captures 
the paranoia of unemployed tire salesman Samuel Byck, who blames Richard Nixon 
for his country’s woes and by extension, his own. His long harangue includes a 
plan to hijack a plane, ram it into the White House, and incinerate the 
president.

Bernadette Hisey delivers a well-etched cameo portrait of anarchist, social 
agitator and feminist Emma Goldman. In a touching scene, Goldman reaches out to 
disgruntled Polish-Russian immigrant, unemployed Leon Czolgosz (Brian Altman), 
before he assassinates President William McKinley.

Another angry immigrant is Guisseppe Zangara (Trey Gilpin), who tries to shoot 
FDR and kills the mayor of Chicago instead. Zangara’s death by execution in the 
electric chair is simulated with lighting, Eric Simna’s blood-curdling sound 
effects, and the actor’s jerky movements. It’s extremely effective, proving less 
is more.

Spectator scenes are well-executed by ensemble members Nicole Groah, Eric 
Fancher, Matt Super and Sara Clare.

 “Assassins” is both prescient and timely. The horrific events in Tucson this 
past month bear testimony. The Lakeland production is not only an important 
civics lesson, but a glimpse into what

theater can do at its best.  Don’t miss it.

WHAT: “Assassins”

WHERE: Lakeland Civic Theatre at Lakeland

Community College, 7700 Clocktower Dr., Kirtland

WHEN: Through Feb. 20

TICKETS & INFO: 440-525-7526


 
____________________________________________________________________________________
The fish are biting. 
Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing.
http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v2.php
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.neohiopal.org/pipermail/neohiopal-neohiopal.org/attachments/20110215/8a65ab61/attachment-0003.htm>