Playwright: John Weidman (book), Stephen Sondheim (music & lyrics). At: The Viaduct, 3111 N. Western Ave. Tickets: 1-312-212-3470; www.Assassins-Chicago.com; $47.57 (with service charge). Runs through: Nov. 10
Billy Pacholski has produced and directed this excellent staging of the pointed Sondheim-Weidman musical about successful and wannabe presidential assassins. In an intimate space not requiring microphones, he replaces the usual carnival shooting gallery setting with something more classical: the presidential seal painted big on the floor like the orchestra of a Greek theater, with a projection screen at the back in the wavy pattern of a flag in the breeze. The result is an engaging and even warm (at moments) interpretation of rather cold (although often funny) material.
Musical director Robert Ollis (on loan from Bailiwick Chicago) guides the first-rate 15-person cast through Sondheim's tricky pastiche score filled with American musical references, and fronts a sweet five-piece orchestra featuring delicate use of woodwinds and trumpet. While the principal tension is developed between John Wilkes Booth (Kevin Webb projecting lean menace) and Lee Harvey Oswald (All-American boy Sam Button-Harris)the first and last successful assassins and the only competent ones in the lotthe work really is an ensemble piece with each player getting his/her star turn via a song or darkly comedic book scene.
The entire production is greatly enhanced by Ryan Fukuda's constantly morphing video (with opening animation by Rebecca Berdel), the period-accurate costumes of Chris Tuttle and lighting by Kelly Lasley.
Assassins underscores the violence endemic to American culture, and also the gun culture that is part and parcel of the American Experience. Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Reagan were shot at point-blank range; it would have been impossible to miss. Ditto, the attempts (within days of each other) on Gerald Ford ... if the wannabes had been competent enough actually to fire a shot. Oswald was the only skilled marksman in the bunch.
What emerges from Assassins is that most presidential killers were young loners who society marginalized and who were unemployed or underemployed. Booth alone headed a conspiracy and acted, arguably, for a political cause larger than himself. For all the others it was personalan instant gateway to empowerment, fame and attention as if killing the Prez would solve their problems. "Everybody's got the right to be happy; everybody's got the right to their dream" goes the lyric that opens and closes the show.
I wonder, however, about the point in presenting this show in 2012 as our first African-American Presidentwhom a majority of Chicagoans certainly supportstruggles for re-election. In the run-up to George Bush's re-election in 2004, there were two local productions of Assassins within six months. I began my reviews of both with the same line: "Presidential assassins are like taxicabs: there's never one around when you need one." I don't feel that way this year.