ASSASSINS Comes to Los Altos Stage Company

Los Altos Stage Company's 21st season opens with arguably one of the most controversial Broadway musicals ever written. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, Assassins opens September 2 (preview performance on September 1) and runs through September 25, 2016 at the Bus Barn Theater in Los Altos.

Winner of five Tony Awards, Assassins weaves the intriguing tale of some of the most infamous characters from American history. It investigates the personalities behind nine individuals who attempted to assassinate a President of the United States.Assassins is part vaudeville extravaganza, part exposé and wholly electrifying, with an incredible score that reveals uneasy truths about the American Dream. Hugely resonant in today's celebrity-infatuated, gun-obsessed, absurdly polarized society, the story is peopled with desperate characters intent on making their indelible mark.

Assassins premiered off-Broadway in December 1990, selling out all 73 performances without transferring to a larger Broadway house or receiving critical-acclaim, perhaps because the country was on the verge of the Persian Gulf War. In 2001, a Broadway production of Assassins was planned by Roundabout Theatre Company and was postponed after Sept. 11th. Assassins opened March 31, 2004 on Broadway at Studio 54 by the Roundabout Theatre and ran until July 18, receiving the 2004 Tony for best revival of a musical.

The LASC production of Assassins is directed by Lee Ann Payne, a local actor, director and choreographer who previously choreographed Los Altos Stage Company's productions of Dead Man's Cell Phone, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Little Shop of Horrors and Smokey Joe's Café. It features a talented ensemble of Bus Barn Theater veterans, as well as new faces, including: Chloe Angst, Philomena Block, Ken Boswell, Chase Campbell, Andy Cooperfauss, Aaron Hurley, Drew Jones, Brittany

Mignano, David Murphy, Brian Palac, Luca Paliska, Jery Rosas, Alea Selburn, Connor Smith, Anthony Stephens, and Todd Wright.

Performances are Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 8 pm and Sundaymatinees at 3 pm. Ticket prices range from $18 (student) to $36. Opening Night tickets, including a reception with the artists, are also $36. Tickets are available online at www.losaltosstage.org or by calling the Box Office at 650-941-0551.

Los Altos Stage Company is a quintessential American neighborhood playhouse, serving Los Altos and the greater South Bay area, and paying tribute to the full canon of American musicals, comedies, and dramas. This 20-year-old theater company strives to bring together a diversity of theater enthusiasts, practitioners, and supporters to create, explore and celebrate the rich tapestry of American culture and experience through live theater. Los Altos Stage Company produces five to six shows annually at its intimate 99-seat theater located on the Los Altos Civic Center campus.