This musical, with a book by John Weidman, explores the history of
presidential assassination in America, from John Wilkes Booth to John
Hinckley, Jr. Assassins climaxes in a surreal sequence where the
assassins convince Lee Harvey Oswald that his act is the only way he
will connect -- with them, with history, and with the world.
The song "Something Just Broke" was added for the London productions,
and has been included in all subsequent productions, although it has
not yet been recorded.
Show Data
- Original Production Info
- Cast
- Musical Numbers
- Original London Production Info
- Cast
- Added Songs
- Recordings
- Production Rights
- Articles
| Opened | December 18, 1990 |
| Closed | February 16, 1991 |
| Theatre | Playwrights Horizons |
| Ran | 73 Performances |
| Music | Stephen Sondheim |
| Lyrics | Stephen Sondheim |
| Book | John Weidman |
| Based on an idea by | Charles S. Gilbert, Jr. |
| Producer | Playwrights Horizons |
| Director | Jerry Zaks |
| Set Designer | Loren Sherman |
| Costume Designer | William Ivey Long |
| Lighting Designer | Paul Gallo |
| Sound Designer | Scott Lehrer |
| Hair Design | Angela Gari |
| Choreography | D.J. Giagni |
| Musical Direction | Paul Gemignani |
| Orchestrations | Michael Starobin |
| Piano | Paul Ford |
| Drums, Percussion | Paul Gemignani |
| Synthesizers | Michael Starobin |
| Proprietor | William Parry |
| Leon Czolgosz | Terrence Mann |
| John Hinckley | Greg Germann |
| Charles Guiteau | Jonathan Hadary |
| Giuseppe Zangara | Eddie Korbich |
| Samuel Byck | Lee Wilkof |
| Lynette Fromme | Annie Golden |
| Sara Jane Moore | Debra Monk |
| John Wilkes Booth | Victor Garber |
| Balladeer | Patrick Cassidy |
| David Herold | Marcus Olson |
| Bartender | John Jellison |
| Bystanders | Joy Franz |
| Lyn Greene | |
| John Jellison | |
| Marcus Olson | |
| William Parry | |
| Emma Goldman | Lyn Greene |
| Fairgoers | Joy Franz |
| Lyn Greene | |
| John Jellison | |
| Marcus Olson | |
| William Parry | |
| Michael Shulman | |
| James Garfield | William Parry |
| James Blaine | John Jellison |
| Hangman | Marcus Olson |
| Warden | John Jellison |
| Billy | Michael Shulman |
| Gerald Ford | William Parry |
| Lee Harvey Oswald | Jace Alexander |
Original London Production Info:
| Opened | 1992 |
| Theatre | Donmar Warehouse, London |
| Music | Stephen Sondheim |
| Lyrics | Stephen Sondheim |
| Book | John Weidman |
| Based on an idea by | Charles S. Gilbert, Jr. |
| Director | Sam Mendes |
| Set Designer | Anthony Ward |
| Costume Designer | Anthony Ward |
| Costume Supervisor | Christine Rowland |
| Lighting Designer | Paul Pyant |
| Musical Direction | Jeremy Sams |
| Perf. Musical Director | Mark Dorrell |
| Orchestrations | Michael Starobin |
| Sound Designer | John A. Leonard |
| Proprietor | Paul Bentley |
| Leon Czolgosz | Jack Ellis |
| John Hinckley | Michael Cantwell |
| Charles Guiteau | Henry Goodman |
| Giuseppe Zangara | Paul Harrhy |
| Samuel Byck | Ciaran Hinds |
| Lynette Fromme | Cathryn Bradshaw |
| Sara Jane Moore | Louise Gold |
| John Wilkes Booth | David Firth |
| Balladeer | Anthony Barclay |
| David Herold | Kevin Walton |
| Emma Goldman | Sue Kelvin |
| James Garfield | Kevin Walton |
| James Blaine | Gareth Snook |
| Gerald Ford | Paul Bentley |
| Lee Harvey Oswald | Gareth Snook |
Original London Added Songs:
Recordings:
Secondary performance rights handled by Music Theatre International
Articles:
Discuss this show in Sondheim.com's
community forum: Finishing the Chat... ››
“Assassins is about how society interprets the American Dream, marginalizes outsiders and rewrites and sanitizes its collective history. "Something Just Broke" is a major distraction and plays like an afterthought, shoe horned simply to appease. The song breaks the dramatic fluidity and obstructs the overall pacing and climactic arc which derails the very intent and momentum that makes this work so compelling...”
- Mark Bakalor
“I found [the Sondheim Celebration's Company] to be completely delightful. Almost all of the numbers excited and energized me, and most of the scenes were about as pitch-perfect as you can get. I just sat there with a big smile on my face the whole show.
Which is not to say that it is perfect...”
- popcornonmyknees
Explore the rest of the Finishing the Chat Community Forum
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