Assassins (musical)

Assassins is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman and was based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. It uses a revue-like style to examine the men and women who have attempted and/or succeeded in assassinating a U.S. President. The style of the music varies widely, reflecting the different styles of music popular at the times of the events depicted.

Performing Assassins

Assassins is popular in school drama productions, as the personalities of each character can change varying on the actor/actress playing them. Many different props are used for Assassins, the most noticeable being the guns and an optional screen. The screen can be used as extra background. Another option is to use it to display the shooting gallery targets in Everybody's Got the Right or pictures of Booth during the Ballad of Booth. It may also show different varieties of guns for the Gun Song. It is also possible to have a recording of the newspaper reporter's voice to start off How I Saved Roosevelt. A working camera, real food for the Assassins to eat, and a rope for Guiteau to be hung from, as well as a realistic-looking electric chair for Zangara are all required, although the director may use a normal chair for the electric chair and have the lights be flicked on and off spontaneously to simulate electrocution.. One interesting way to present Unworthy of Your Love is to have Hinckley in a modern-day bar (perhaps the same bar shown in Ladies and gentlemen, a toast) where he goes onto stage (succeeded by Fromme) to sing his folk song. The Bartender can say the Proprietor's lines (which were originally spoken by Ronald Reagan after he was shot).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~