It has taken 13 years for the Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman musical "Assassins," which opens tonight, to make its way to Broadway. And while some of the delay can be attributed to the usual theatrical gremlins — like scheduling problems — the greatest obstacle has been the strange intersection of its dark subject matter and world events, including two Persian Gulf wars and the terrorist attacks of 9/11.I saw a production of Assassins my college did, and I must say it was pretty fantastic. This was my only 2nd or 3rd time I went to see a play or musical, so I was impressed.
The musical, after all, is not your average bubbly toe-tapper; its characters, including John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald and John Hinckley Jr., have killed or tried to kill American presidents. Presented in a sideshow setting complete with a sinister barker, "Assassins" explores inner lives of assassins whose interactions onstage suggest that the American obsession with fame plays no small part in society's obsession with violence.I went into the musical not really knowing any of the major players. Well, I knew the main assassins like Booth and Oswald, but that's pretty much it. Definitely study up on some history of the assassins before you go see it. That would have certainly have helped me.
The gun shots will get to ya, at least it got to me. Hearing loud bangs was scary. The way the gun itself was transformed into its own character was disturbing. Very liberal use of guns. Dark comedy and social commentary all roled into one. Worth your time, effort, and money.
