Michael McGovern, Lee Michele Rosenthal, Charlie Retzlaff, and Hunter Curry. Photo by Nickolas Cummings.
It’s a silly premise. John Wilkes Booth encouraging Lee Harvey Oswald to solve his problems by killing John F. Kennedy is an absurd situation to find in a musical. “Assassins” is one of the few Stephen Sondheim musicals you probably have not heard of. Its story features nine presidential assassins (whether they succeeded or not): John Wilkes Booth (Hunter Curry), Charles Guiteau (Charlie Retzlaff), Leon Czolgosz (Michael McGovern), Giuseppe Zangara (Michael McCarthy), Samuel Byck (Bill Bodie), Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme (Mel Gumina), Sara Jane Moore (Lee Rosenthal), John Hinckley (Alden Michels), and Oswald (Preston Meche). Through cross-time interactions and actual depictions of some of the assassinations (or attempts), “Assassins” explores the connection between presidential assassination and the concept of the American dream.
…a side-splitting night at the theatre.
Silver Spring Stage’s production leans into the absurdity of it all. The script is clunky and cannot quite decide whether it wants to be a comedy or a drama. The assassins warn us about the power of a gun, but Sara Jane Moore also complains to Squeaky Fromme about accidentally shooting her dog after bringing it with her to assassinate Gerald Ford. Director Fred Zirm navigates this dichotomy by throwing caution to the wind—and with great results. Every comedic bit is hit and new ones are created. When Rosenthal enters (after a gunshot is heard) dragging a stuffed dog on a leash, the audience simultaneously gasps in horror and loses their minds laughing. Rosenthal, after all, is perhaps the funniest of this group. Her muttered obscenities and endless mishaps are utterly ridiculous, and there are no over-the-top choices here—she plays it straight and is all the better for it.
Each member of the lead ensemble grasps at their own comedic bits, of course. As the stark raving mad Byck, Bodie delivers exceptional monologues, layering the already ludicrous text with moments of physical comedy (while monologuing in the car, he lunges to grab the wheel after letting go of it to better focus on his Burger King meal). In a one-off scene as Gerald Ford, Meche does a strikingly funny impression of the former president, creating a caricature that compliments the choice to primarily use printed-out photos of each president to represent them rather than costuming the ensemble in period-accurate garb. Retzlaff plays a charmingly insane Guiteau, constantly grinning from ear to ear as he points to his book and heads to his execution.
While this production does its best to capitalize on the musical’s comedic moments, it cannot quite mend the faults of the script. Some assassins are depicted much more accurately than others. While the book gets Booth’s story correct down to the broken leg, it also portrays Fromme and Moore as partners in crime (their attempts were within three weeks of each other) and does not even attempt to depict Byck’s attempt to hijack a plane. The various inconsistencies that riddle the story lead to an unsatisfactory conclusion. Meche does attempt to strike some dramatic chords. During one number, he even displays photos from the January 6 insurrection to emphasize the connection between these assassins and today. This connection is apt since the last major presidential assassination attempt has been lost in the past few decades. However, the intense seriousness with which this is treated slightly misses the mark. When one picture of the “Qanon Shaman” was shown, several audience members burst out into laughter.
“Assassins” falls prey to its standard issues, but the cast and crew at Silver Spring Stage do their best to milk out the comedic moments of the script with great vigor. In this story of American idealism and violence, its ridiculous nature does not quite fit in, but it does make for a side-splitting night at the theatre.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 45 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
Advisory: Contains use of prop guns, adult language, depictions of violence, and mature themes.
“Assassins” runs through June 23, 2024 at Silver Spring Stage, 10145 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901. For more information and to purchase tickets, go online.
