About the Play:

Assassins is a full-length dramatic comedy by the modern master of musical theatre Stephen Sondheim and book writer John Weidman. The Tony-winning musical Assassins examines the motivations of the misfits and malcontents who have killed – or attempted to kill – Presidents of the United States throughout history. John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr. and others meet and interact in this "revusical" that Stephen Sondheim calls his most "perfect" musical.

Assassins is a journey through the dark side of the American dream. The Tony-winning revue-style musical explores the lives of nine men and women who either killed (or tried to kill) one of the Presidents of the United States. This theatrical tour-de-force combines Stephen Sondheim's signature blend of intelligently stunning lyrics and beautiful music with a panoramic story of America's culture culture of celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it, embodied by the nations' four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, and beyond, writers, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, bend the rules of time and space, taking the audience on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, intersect in unexpected ways and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream. Evoking a fraternity of political assassins and would-be assassins across a hundred years of American history, this musical daringly examines success, failure and the questionable drive for power and celebrity in American society. You'll hear tastes of the American musical styles of each assassin's era. Bold, original, disturbing and alarmingly funny, Assassins is perhaps the most controversial musical ever written. Reviewers have praised this revue with phrases like "a show both repellent and riveting" and "a stunning, gut-punch of a musical".

Assassins first opened in 1990 Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, and the 2004 Broadway production won five Tony Awards.

Cast: 3 female, 11 male, plus bystanders; tourists; reporters; photographers

What people say:

"Dark, demented humor, as horrifying as it is hilarious." — Associated Press

"Nothing quite prepares you for the disturbing brilliance of Assassins." — New York Times

"Assassins is Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's musical salute to the unhinged, the disenfranchised, the loathsome lonesome losers of the world. Imagine a bizarro Hall of Presidents in a demented Disney World but with the infamous shooters or wannabe-killers of Presidents...." — Broadway World

About the Playwright:

Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) was an American composer and lyricist known for his immense contributions to musical theatre for over 50 years. His musical compositions and lyrics earned him a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and numerous Tonys among other awards and honours. Described by Frank Rich of The New York Times as "now the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theater."

John Weidman is an American librettist. He has written the books for a wide variety of stage musicals, three in collaboration with Stephen Sondheim. He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book for a Musical three times.