Review: ASSASSINS at Theo

Although it debuted off-Broadway more than thirty years ago, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s ASSASSINS remains a thrilling, bone chilling, brilliant, and immensely taut musical. Drawing on the United States history of successful and would-be presidential assassins, ASSASSINS is an astounding exploration of disillusionment and infamy. The musical feels remarkably prescient in the era of TikTok influencers and an epidemic of mass shootings in America; ASSASSINS unnervingly pre-dates both of these phenomena and yet is a real immediate reflection of them. When the ensemble sings in “The Gun Song” that “all you have to do is move your little finger/ and you can change the world,” it’s absolutely terrifying in a 2023 context. Sondheim and Weidman present a cast of historical characters that feel disenfranchised and disillusioned by American ideals, and modern America certainly hasn’t been disabused of this notion. 

In the opening number, the ensemble of assassins and a gun-wielding Proprietor proclaim “Everybody’s got the right to be happy/Everybody’s got the right to their dreams.” That brilliant misappropriation of the Declaration of Independence’s inalienable right to the “pursuit of happiness” embodies ASSASSINS in a nutshell. The musical’s thesis suggests that these historical figures are so disillusioned and dissatisfied with their lives in America that they decide to attempt (and, as we know, in some cases, successfully) the radical and violent act of assassinating an American president.

It’s a grim framework for a musical, but it works remarkably well. ASSASSINS is understandably dark, but it’s also surprisingly and remarkably funny. It’s a testament both to the work itself and to Theo’s ensemble that I was fully invested. Sondheim and Weidman didn’t devise these characters to be sympathetic, but the central theme of the human desire for connection and purpose rings clear. Director Daryl D. Brooks helms a razor-sharp ensemble. The bizarre fraternity of assassins unite to expertly deliver Sondheim’s chilling harmonies, and the individual characterizations are rich and unique. 

Bek Lambrecht’s set only loosely suggests the shooting gallery in the ASSASSINS’ libretto, but it’s enough to set the scene. Liz Bollar is commanding and powerful as the Proprietor, who taunts the assassins at the beginning of the show to come and shoot a president. Her carnival barker energy helps fill the gaps for the audience. 

This was my first time at Theo, and it’s worth noting that this is an extremely intimate space — my front row, cabaret style seat literally put me on the stage. For future audiences and my future self, I suggest sitting farther back behind the cabaret tables in plushier chairs — it’s still a small enough space to feel close to the action. A musical like ASSASSINS is in-your-face no matter where you sit. 

Neala Barron is brilliant as John Wilkes Booth, undoubtedly one of the most infamous presidential assassins. Washed out in the palest of foundations, Barron has a creepy, looming presence, but she also lends pathos to the disillusioned Booth. In the dual roles of the Balladeer and Lee Harvey Oswald, Patrick O’Keefe has an eerily sprite-like presence. He flits about the stage, narrating some of the other assassins’ actions; the contrast between Barron’s somber Booth and O’Keefe’s energetic Balladeer is particularly striking in “The Ballad of Booth.” 

Josh Pablo Szabo is harried and flustered as Giuseppe Zangara, FDR’s attempted assassin, and fully embodies the plight of a man in deep metaphorical and physical pain (Zangara suffered from acute abdominal pain.) Nick Arceo skillfully portrays the bizarre optimism and innate greed and disillusionment of Charles Guiteau, James A. Garfield’s assassin. “The Ballad of Guiteau” becomes every inch the portrait of a mad man in this production; Sondheim’s strange Americana and hymnal pastiche is brought to stunning, strange life. 

Jon Parker Jackson practically brings down the house as out-of-work tire salesman and would-be Nixon assassin Sam Byck. Jackson delivers Byck’s long, rambling monologue to Leonard Bernstein with utter conviction. As Leon Czolgosz and John Hinckley, respectively, Mack Spotts and Will Koski are equally convincing as lonely, disenfranchised figures.

The funniest duo in the show are Laura Sportiello and Amanda Rodriguez as Sara Jane Moore and Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, who both attempted to assassinate Gerald Ford within days of one another. While in real-life the two never met, Weidman has written a brilliant and hysterical scene for the two. Sportiello portrays Moore’s flakiness beautifully; she’s outsized and wonderful. Rodriguez is hilarious and chilling as Fromme, who was a devout member of Charles Manson’s cult. They're an odd couple, but Sportiello and Rodriguez have a delightful rapport, and their exchange is a genuinely humorous bright spot within this dark musical.

Also of note: Koski and Rodriguez are straight-up masterful in their delivery of the duet “Unworthy of Your Love,” possibly one of the most unnerving, twisted love songs in the musical theater canon. These are first-rate performances.

ASSASSINS is a real testament to the fact that musicals can really tackle any topic if they’re executed correctly. Sondheim and Weidman have produced a musical that’s utterly genius, and Sondheim’s pastiche score mirrors the musical’s historical roots. Theo's ensemble is uniformly excellent, and all the performers are thoroughly engaging in this twisted, prescient musical tale. 

ASSASSINS runs through December 17, 2023 at Theo, 721 Howard Street, Evanston, IL 60202. Tickets are $44-$59.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Stenholt

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