(out of 
)Stephen Sondheim can be accused of a lot of things, such as difficult music, intense lyrics, and challenging topics and characterizations. What he cannot be accused of is being unoriginal. Who else but the Musical Theatre's version of Philip Glass could create an entire musical based on successful and would-be Presidential assassins? And, Assassins, while expectedly morose and disturbing, is also thought-provoking, another of Sondheim's trademarks. You don't leave a production of this difficult play whistling, but more often than not trying to clear your ears after the incessant gunfire, and having just a slightly different perspective on those you used to summarily hate.
Local impresario Michael J. Alessandro and his Feast
of Fools Theatre Company has mounted a production of this
flawed gem, and have done both a wonderful and awful job in bringing
to life everyone from John Wilkes Booth to "Squeaky"
Fromme, and all those in between. Some moments in this intense
show sparkle, and some groan. Part of the blame definitely rests
in the show itself, which Sondheim abandoned after an Off-Broadway
production at Playwright's Horizon's in New York, somewhat wisely
never giving it a chance for a polishing in a Broadway run. A
big problem with this particular production, though, seems to
be the lack of an acknowledged Musical Director. Mentioned in
the program is Marilyn Gibson, who is noted as the "Vocal
Coach style deal," and Karen Laine as the rehearsal
pianist. For a production of any Sondheim piece, the challenge
of the music and lyrics is often more important than any other
part of the show. The fact that this production was marred by
a performance of "How I Saved Roosevelt," while at the
same time, raised by their performance of such beauties as "Ballad
of Guiteau" and the ordinarily cut "Something Just Broke"
shows how necessary it is to have a true Musical Director.
The show follows the disenfranchised likes of presidential assassins
Booth, Charles Guiteau, Leon Czolgasz, and Oswald, and wannabees
Guiseppe Zangara, John Hinkley, Sam Byck, Lynette "Squeaky"
Fromme and Sara Jane Moore. It attempts to show their motivations,
if not in a justifiable light, at least in human terms. The power
of this show comes as we discover the human foibles of such international
acts, and is balanced by the wonderful justification song of "Another
National Anthem," and the emotionally scarred lament of "Something
Just Broke," where normal people react to the results of
the assassins political sentiments. Not everyone will like what
this show has to say, but theatre is about challenging intellect
and sentiment, and this is one of the most challenging pieces
ever written.
The performers run from impressive to solid to simply awful. The
best of this ragtag group is Damon Dering as the flamboyant
nutcase, Guiteau, and Kati Farkas as the Manson-loving
"Squeaky" Fromme. They are hilarious, touching, and
also sing their parts quite well. Nearly as good performances
come from Scott Campbell as the narrator character, the
Balladeer, who is vocally strong though occasionally has problems
keeping up with Brian Kunnari's taped orchestrations (a
common problem among all performers), Blake Sereno as the
terminally brooding Leon Czolgasz, who acts a bit better than
he sings, and Jeffrey C. Hawkins as the instigator of the
group, John Wilkes Booth, who also has a few vocal problems.
Solid performances come from Steven Fried as the creepy
John Hinkley, Julie Whelihan as the scattered Sara Jane
Moore, and Athena Reiss as Emma Goldman. The disappointments
of this production come from Mr. Alessandro himself as the monologue-driven
Sam Byck, as he seems vocally hesitant and unmodulated throughout
his rantings, and the remainder of the Ensemble. It must be noted,
though, that as bad as the ensemble is during "How I Saved
Roosevelt," they are almost completely redeemed by their
performance of "Something Just Broke."
Mr. Alessandro's Direction and Choreography are creative, though
many of the performers make the unforgivable mistake of missing
their lighting and marks. The production definitely either hits
or misses, and rarely finds the middle ground. Felicia Fowler-Alexander's
Scenic Design is quite on-target for this production, though her
costuming is occasionally flawed, especially with the costume
for Booth, which just looked wrong through most of the show.
Feast of Fools Theatre has been consistently taking on difficult
and interesting challenges, with mixed results. When they get
it, it's wonderful, but when they miss the mark for some reason,
it's jarring. Mr. Alessandro and his company, though, will always
come out a bit more favorably for their efforts, simply because
of the nature of their mission. While this production is sometimes
sloppy and has its flaws, the powerful moments and messages make
for a valiant balance, and just tip the scales toward a suggestion
of seeing this rarely-produced, flawed-yet-strangely-powerful
show.
Production Details:
Assassins Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim,
Book by John Weidman
Feast of Fools Theatre
New School of the Arts Blackbox Theatre, Scottsdale
(602) 256-7898
March 12th - March 28th, 1999