Assassins

[Qfan]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 8:49am

has anyone seen it yet.how do you like it?

[FrontRow]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 1:04pm

I saw it. Before I give my opinion, let me just describe what happened as I entered the theater. You know how the mass of people in the lobby narrows to rows of 3 or 4 abreast as they go past the ticket takers? Well, when that happened I ended up RIGHT next to Stephen Sondheim. Really. He was with Pamela Reed, the actress (and hung out at the bar till curtain).

I had seen this show in community theater but didn't remember much about it. I think it's just a little too "weird" and dark. I mean, even the peppy numbers aren't very peppy. A few of the assassins-from-different-eras chatting together scenes are amusing, but overall -- I don't know -- it's just not that entertaining. A good history lesson. And all the performers are good. I was surprised how much I liked Mario Cantone, because he gives me a headache when he's himself. Cerveris also probably one of the standouts. I feel Marc Kudisch (whose arms are completely tattooed for the role) is wasted. You don't need a matinee idol for that role. If you're familiar with and like the show/score, you'll like this production. But it's a tough sell otherwise.

Posted: 4/5/04 at 9:55pm

Im seeing it wednesday!

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 10:23pm

I disagree. I think this production of Assassins in just right. It needs to be done this way. I think Denis O'Hare shines, James Barbour is wonderful, and Michael Cerveris is amazing. Not to mention the humor provided by Becky Ann Baker and Mary Catherine Garrison, who are great as well. This production also makes some very specific changes that I think are brilliant. I love having the Balladeer become Oswald, and there have been many small musical adjustments that highlight some of their moments very well, as opposed to the last recording produced. There is little I would change about this production of Assassins.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 10:28pm

Could you describe the Kudisch tattoos in detail, please? Thanking you in advance.

[Roddick19]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 10:36pm

Mistress -- are you going to the night show? So am I! Where are you sitting? I'm ALL THE WAY IN THE BACK...last row of the mezz.

[johny0828]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 10:45pm

im going to the wednesday mat. i can't wait!

[MauveRose]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 10:45pm

Kudisch also had a newly shaved head which was very nice.


I saw it the other day. I wasn't all that impressed even though I love all of Sondheim's work. I felt like while it had great moments, it didn't all fit together. It was very slow moving, almost painfully slow moving at times. Or maybe I was just cranky because there was no intermission and I jumped a mile each time they shot off a gun, which was every 5 minutes. Oh well. Michael Cerveris, Denis O'Hare, Mario Cantone, and Becky Ann Baker were the only ones whose performances truly stood out. I was very dissapointed by Neil Patrick Harris, who was very weak vocally.

I think it's an interesting piece of musical theater, and I would go see it again for research purposes, but I have a feeling this run will not be extended and will be heavily criticized by the critics.

Posted: 4/5/04 at 11:08pm

Um... I am going to the evening performance, Im not exactly sure where my seats are, except to say theyre orchestra cuz thats the only place I can get to ... im in a wheelchair, and im the girl in my icon, but my hair is lighter these days.

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 4/6/04 at 10:15am

I agree with MR. Jamie Hat. From the time the non-existent curtain rises to the time it "drops", ASSASSINS spirals out of control. in a wonderful way. every assassin is a jaw-dropping knockout. The songs are wonderful (maybe one of SOndheim's top 5 scores in my opinion) and the set is bare, but eerily classy.

as for Kudisch's tattoos, they are faint and undecypherable shapes that resemble a winding figure, possibly being a serpent of some sort...?

GREAT SHOW, CONCEPT, SCORE, EXECUTION.

dbj

[liveforeverybreath]

Posted: 4/6/04 at 1:51pm

In my personal opinion, the score is lousy. It is definitely not Sondheim's best work, that’s for sure. But my overall impression of the show was a good one. There were a few times during the show where I completely lost interest and found my mind wondering down the stairs and out the door to the bar down the block. Overall, the baseline story for the show is interesting, but the way the story(stories) were compiled and portrayed to the audience was quite lame and hard to follow. The show didn’t flow well, it seemed quite choppy. I felt pretty lost. I feel that a show is supposed to keep your interest and make the storyline pretty straight forward. I didn’t walk out of the theater in amazement inspired by what I had just seen. It was more or less walking out of the theater trying to come up with a purpose for the show. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the show and the stories behind it. I just wasn’t impressed by the show as a whole. What was all the hype about? .......Sorry.

[FrontRow]

Posted: 4/6/04 at 4:59pm

Jamie Hat and NuggetMonkeys -- Were you familiar with Assassins before seeing this production? I said in an earlier post that those who already know & like the show/score would enjoy it.
But I think "virgins" would agree more with liveforeverybreath and MauveRose. It does lend itself to mind-wandering at times.

Denis O'Hare does his TAKE ME OUT shtick in Assassins. Will he also do this in Sweet Charity? No good when you're the same in every role.
Neil Patrick Harris didn't seem to do anything to "become" Oswald; I didn't feel he was portraying a character.
The others were good.

[MyNameInLights]

Posted: 4/6/04 at 5:09pm

I have never heard any of the score. What can I expect? I'm a HUGE Sondheim girl, and I'm not easily disappointed by his work. What's it like?

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 4/6/04 at 7:34pm

yes i was a fan of the show prior to seeing it performed.
true, true.

Posted: 4/6/04 at 11:10pm

Saw it a few days ago. I was bored to tears.

[liveforeverybreath]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 12:07am

I had never seen the show before Friday night, but i was familiar with the stories of the assassins. I am also familiar with Sondheims work, and was greatly disappointed in the score. I think in a show like Assassins, it is not only the music that is supposed to grab your attention, but also the storyline. Even if the music was AMAZING, there is still the lack of plot that leaves the audience confused.
Oh, and can I say how cute little Eamon is! I wish I was given that oppertunity at such a young age. So cute.

[StarUsher]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 2:21am

Could you be more specific about Denis O'Hare's Take Me Out shtick?

Posted: 4/7/04 at 4:05am

all this talk is making me even more excited. Bare sets usually disappoint me because im an artist but I can see why theyd do that with this show. I like alot of the performers and ive enjoyed the parts of the music that ive heard. i cant wait till tomorrow!

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 6:07am

From what I've seen, the set looks like an abandoned corner of a carnival.
Set Photo

[Qfan]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 8:33am

well thats for scene one which is in a carnival.

[stageboy6]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 8:53am

haven't seen it yet but heard it was good

[FrontRow]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 10:55am

Re: Denis O'Hare...

Did you see TAKE ME OUT? He played a character who's almost afraid to express himself though when he does he's verbose and articulate. Body language and line delivery, very shy and halting. Like a nerd trying to break free of his nerdiness.

O'Hare does all that in ASSASSINS too.

I saw him years ago in his big off Broadway project, LONELY PLANET. Don't remember him doing it then, but it was a long time ago.

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 12:13am

Okay.
If you are not able to follow what is going on during the horribly LONG 100 minute production of Assassins (I know, WAY too long right?), how could you make it through its much more lengthy and complex associates Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods? Assassins is so straight forward I don't know where anyone could get lost.
The Assassins are all introduced right away, and their stories are all played out in short scenes, some shorter than others (problems there being tinkered with, that's why they're called PRE-views).

To another question, I am somewhat of a virgin to the show. I knew the music a little, but didn't really appreciate it until I saw it. (I do think that you can tell "Something Just Broke" was written after the rest of the score, and I'm not sure it fits in properly.)

As far as Denis O'Hare's schtick? Even if you were right (I don't agree that the two characters are the same but whatever), you can't say that either of them don't work. I think his role in TMO and Charles Guiteau are fantastic. If it ain't broke...

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 4/9/04 at 1:36am

thank you jamie hat,
i completely agree with your write up of the show.

I knew absolutely nothing about the show before walking into it, and only because I am a roundabout subscriber. It took me a f ew minutes to get past the guns shots but I thought the show was amazing. Also, having seen Neil patrick harris before, I thought he did a great job of entrancing the audience and pulling the show together. After seeing the show I bought the original cast cd and found most of the actors to be rather weak compared wiht the new cast, esp the role of the balladeer. The original walked through the songs without singing much at all. Neil Patrick Harris definitely brought out the best in one of Sondheims weaker scores.

Posted: 4/9/04 at 1:56am

I loved it! I hadnt heard any of the songs before, I just knew about it because Matt Morrison told me about it, and its one of his favorites so I saw it. I too noticed the similarity between Denis OHares treatment of this character and that of his Take Me Out character but he still did it well. And Neil Patrick Harris was by far my favorite in the show. Made me sorry I didnt see him in Cabaret. The whole show was a lot of fun and I want to see it again to catch the things I missed on the sharp angle I was watching from if I can. But I wonder why the women are portrayed as incompetent & followers while the men are passionate & visionaries? Statement or coincidence?