Assassins
Assassins
corthomas
Understudy Joined: 8/25/13
#1Assassins
Posted: 11/6/14 at 12:26pm
SOOOO I was hoping to buy an Assassins ticket long ago for my trip to London at the end of November. I checked a while back and everything I found said that the show didn't start til mid December, so I thought, oh well. I just happened to look online today and saw that it does in fact start in November and is completely sold out 
Does anyone know if the theater does standing room or rush tickets or anything like that? Or does anyone have a ticket that they can no longer use?
-Desperate Sondheim Lover
ggersten
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#5Assassins
Posted: 11/7/14 at 7:44pm
Sorry you can't get a ticket, if I had a couple of tickets whilst you were over, you could have them and then I be happy to go later in the run, as I live about 8 miles away from the Menier.
As it happens the Menier do hold back producer seats, theses are the ones that end up on the cancellation line on the day.
corthomas
Understudy Joined: 8/25/13
corthomas
Understudy Joined: 8/25/13
#13Assassins
Posted: 11/17/14 at 12:05pm
Well so glad for both of you that tickets have come online and available, I hope they find both corthomas and Thespian Geek well as I know how desperate both of you were to go.
Just hope that these tickets now end up in your lap and you don't miss out, tempted to buy a pair of tickets for you, so that you definitely can go, but a bit risky in case you bagged your tickets already.
Looks like these are producer seats that are set aside for the great and good, for marketing purposes, looks like the Menier see that tickets are selling well and opted to sell these instead and cash in, which in my book is great.
corthomas
Understudy Joined: 8/25/13
#19Assassins
Posted: 11/22/14 at 10:00am
Here's my review
saw this last night and when you enter the house, keeping in the theme of carnival, there is a lady on the right hand side at a stand seeing cartoons of popcorn (£2) or programmes (£4) and you enter though a large carnival clowns mouth and walk across the stage past Jamie Parker slumped in a dodgem car twanging on a banjo to rows of multi-coloured transverse of seats, each individually numbered. At the far end of the stage is a large cupie-doll like head on its side that the actors use throughout the performance, climbing over it, hiding in it, standing next to it or leaning against it.
The roof is strewn with an array of bulbous fairy lights and as the flyer states, thirteen people have tried to kill the resident of the united States. Four have suceeded, so when the attempt is unsuccessful, the words MISS lights up in bright bulbs. When they succeed, a white light appears on the assassin and red confetti (possibly blood) rains down on them.
Although they all arrive at different times throughout the opening sequence, once on stage all the assassins are always visible. There are five ensemble, three males and two females, one of which (Melle Stewart) becomes Emma Goldman and her interaction with Czolgosz are really quite touching. One on stage, all actors remain in character, when when they are not immediately involved in the scene but standing to the side. At times, where possible, they also come into the audience.
Simon Lipkin as The Proprietor wears white make up with large blue eye make up, taking up varying roles as varying presidents, each time holding up a small target symbol. The last thing I saw him in was in Rock of Ages and he looks completely different. with really short hair cut and he seems to have bulked up a bit.
Aaron Tveit commands the stage as John Wlikes Booth an seems to be enjoying himself. He was very impressive!
Stewart Clarke as Guiseppe Zangara is also extremely good, making the character believable, sprouting Italian. When he is electrocuted he is in a swivel chair taped down with gaffer tape.
David Roberts brings Czolgosz to life as the working man immigrant and makes him a sympathetic character and maintains the accent throughout. Speaking of accents, Katherine Tate as Sara Jane Moore in a brunette wig and her interactions with Carly Bawden as Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme are quite amusing and indeed Carley Bawden brings an excellent waifs-like quality to the character. Indeed her duet Unworthy of Your Love with Harry Morrison as John Hinkley, each showing their devotion to the one they love is scaringly beautiful. For me, Morrison’s portrayal of John Hinkley made him the most fearful assassin.
As referred to in a previous post, there is a puppet that is used for one scene.
Andy Nyman brings boundless amounts of zeal as Charles Guiteau and Mike McShane, wearing a dodgy wig, in a soiled Santa Claus suit as Samuel Byck is excellent, as always using the dodgem car to deliver his second monologue. And when Tveit delivers his speech to Jamie Parker, now as Lee Harvey Oswald , convincing him to sheet president Kennedy and he makes the connection to the other assassins, eagerly watching on, it is (truly) chilling.
For those interested, the some Something Just Broke is included in this production.
I know this show. I have both cast recordings on my i-Pod. I have even been in an am-dram production back in Australia but had never seen a professional production and am now so pleased that I saw this as I got the connection and themes running through the show on an entirely different level. I appreciate the line ‘No one can be put in jail for their dream’ but I walked out thinking that these people are truly crazy!
The Menier have done it again. Clever and effective use of limited space. Last night bar a single seat or two, this was a full house with deserved staging ovations.
There are signs as you enter explaining that the running time is approx. 1hour 45 mins and there no interval. It starts at 8pm and no late comers are admitted. There is strictly no re-admitttance should you leave the theatre.
Get a ticket if you can and GO AND SEE THIS!!!!!
BTW- Graham Norton in the audience last night as was the writer of the book John Weidman
#20Assassins
Posted: 11/23/14 at 11:24pmI am very, very excited to be seeing this on Tuesday, especially as I just closed an am-dram production of this today where I live (I was the stage manager). Will be interesting to see it from a different perspective for once and enjoy it as an audience member!
#21Assassins
Posted: 11/24/14 at 5:51am
Glad to see that you two got your tickets - I'm more of a reader than poster on here but when I saw them pop up I thought I must let them know! Aha.
I'm now seeing this on Saturday - but the box office haven't taken back my ticket for the matinee on Saturday 6th December, 3:30pm, and won't - but they said I can sell it on and change the name. Its one seat, A38 front row. £32 face value but keen to get some money back so would take £25 for it - if anyone is interested PM me.
Sorry if that broke the rules, but would like another theatre fan to have it.
#23Assassins
Posted: 11/26/14 at 7:43am
Saw the show last night and was completely blown away by the whole thing. The cast was incredible, with some performances shining brightly than more others (I found Catherine Tate to be the weak link of the whole ensemble and her characterization of Sara Jane Moore fell flat for me - was not what I was expecting). But the entire atmosphere is set from the get go, the staging is incredible, especially with none of the cast leaving the theatre once the show starts. Everyone is there, present, and engaged at all times without taking focus. The ending of Guiteau's song made me squeal in delight to actually get to see something like that on stage and the ending.... well, it gave me chills. I think Jamie Lloyd managed to do something with this production that no one else has and it's pretty phenomenal.
Shout outs to Stewart Clark for a great characterization of Zangara, Simon Lipkin as the Proprietor who was both terrifying and thrilling to watch, Harry Morrison as John Hinckley for making it obvious just how unhinged that man really was/is underneath it all, David Roberts as Czolgosz for putting so much heart into that role and actually managing to make me feel sympathetic toward him, and Aaron Tveit as Booth - was wonderful to see him on stage again (I haven't managed to in 10 years). He really played up the theatrical side of Booth, but still managed to make him dark and understand why he did what he did.
I also just closed a production of this show where I live, so I went in being a little more critical than I would have liked to as an audience member. But overall I feel that it's really just a great, great production and I hope everyone will be seeing it at some point!
corthomas
Understudy Joined: 8/25/13
#24Assassins
Posted: 12/2/14 at 10:19am
Saw the show a few days ago on my trip and boy am I glad that I worked so hard to get a ticket. Fabulous show. The David Roberts, Simon Lipkin and Aaron Tveit were particularly amazing. I couldn't take my eyes off of Simon for most of the show. I got chills toward the end when the red papers fell down and the orchestra swelled!
Thanks all for your help with getting me a ticket. Go see the show if you can!
