In fall of 2001, plans were fully underway to finally mount a Broadway production of the flawed Stephen Sondheim/John Weidman musical, Assassins. The show had been workshopped at Playwright's Horizons with a short Off-Broadway run to mixed reviews. Then came September 11th, and the idea of a musical exploring the minds of successful and would-be Presidential assassins suddenly didn't seem appropriate, so rehearsals were cancelled and the production was eventually shelved. There are some (my companion included) who feel that it should never be remounted. Being a die-hard liberal from the Bronx and a rabid Sondheim fan, I don't agree, but I can see where it would be touchy nonetheless. Is What It Is Theatre, known more for their insistence on softer themes and aversion to cursing has taken on a challenging work that even Broadway has never been able to look in the eye again. Under the tight direction of Kimberlee Hart, the show is still flawed, but very powerful and still as controversial as ever.

Ms. Hart has taken a few liberties with the script. She has included a somewhat distracting-though-appreciated slide show presentation above the heads of the actors that is a Dramaturg's (Barbara Wood) dream, including photos of the main players (Presidents, assassins, influences) photos and engravings of the scenes of assassinations, and a lot of well-researched quotes that attempt to get even further into the minds of the perpetrators. She has changed some of the established ways of presentation, and made the ending (in consideration of her space) even more shocking and controversial than the highly charged original. Ms. Hart's blocking and Deanne Poulos' choreography are extremely effective and often powerful. The cast that Ms. Hart has assembled is at least workable and often impressive.

Key to the cast is Robert Vance as trendsetter John Wilkes Booth. Despite the obviously fake moustache (not pictured), Mr. Vance's voice is sweet and strong, though he has a tendency to rush his dialogue. He is a dependable base upon which the ensemble explores their warped characters. Excellent is Bruce Halperin as the deranged Sam Byck, who chillingly planned on killing Richard Nixon by hijacking a 747 and flying it into the White House. Mr. Halperin is charged with the most acting, depending on monologues to bring out his character, and they are impressively played. Also excellent is Brian Sweis as the disaffected Leon Czolgosz, successful assassin of McKinley. His is a brooding, bitter performance with solid vocals. Tim Lombardi, as FDR attempted-assassin Guisseppe Zangara, offers a commendable acting and singing performance. Wes Martin is an over-the-top Garfield assassin Charles Guiteau, but this is one character where that is appreciated. Michael Bradley and Shelley Phetteplace are strong in singing, especially Ms. Phetteplace, but weaker in performance, tentatively dipping their respective toes into the roles of Jodi Foster-obsessed and would-be Reagan assassin John Hinkley and Charles Manson-slave and would-be Ford assassin Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Terri Scullin is hilarious as the scatter-brained Ford assassin-wannabe Sarah Jane Moore, making this middle aged housewife into a pitifully desperate seeker of self-worth. Michael Peck is an ominous Lee Harvey Oswald, and Scott Schmelder takes the thankless and bizarre role of The Balladeer, a hesitant and oddly used narrator, and strongly sings his way through his scenes.

The remainder of the ensemble (Patrick Salazar, Ken Hansen, Rebecca Hitchcock, Leigh Ritchie-Steele, and young Zachary Benjamin Hart) are solid Bystanders, although the power of the tacked-on "Something Just Broke" is undercut by Russ Noble's performance of Lindsay Vallejo's synthesized music with high levels set in Ilana Lydia's heavily flawed Sound Design. Because of the space, only one prop gun of the eight required was used, and the canned gunshots were a miss-and-miss affair. Mr. Peck's scenic design is full of clever surprises and changes to add flavor to the tiny space, and his and Tim Butterfield's lighting is impressively moody.

Should a musical that could be (I think mis-) construed as being sympathetic to outcasts driven to political murder be held back during our troubled time of terrorism and war? The root causes of such horrible and wrenching choices are important to explore, and I think now is the best time for a show of this sort to be presented. Recalling your history and knowing your enemy makes you more effective in prevention. A certain segment of the public may wish to avoid such an unblinking look into the cold stare of the disaffected, though ironically it's those that are most put off that should be seeing this strong show.