21

August

A darkly humorous musical that reminds us that not all American dreams should come true.

Assassins

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Book by John Weidman

Directed by Courtney O'Connor

Running Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.

Assassins featured on WBZ/CBS News

Summary

With the American dream out of reach, nine of the most notorious figures in our nation’s history ignite a chain of monumental nightmares. The white picket fence is set on fire in Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s tragically funny and unnerving musical which peers inside the shattered minds of presidential assassins (both successful and failed) from John Wilkes Booth to John Hinckley, Jr. This gallery of historical misfits jolts us into their blurry points of view with unapologetic humor, fiery anthems, carefree tunes, and unbridled energy that boldly blurs the lines between ambition and madness.

Content Warning: This production contains haze, gun shots, death, suicide, racial slurs, and strong language.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

** Represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE

° Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

† Member of AFM Local 9-535

"At Lyric Stage Sondheim's Assassins meets the moment in Courtney O'Connor's first-rate production." Don Aucoin, The Boston Globe "O'Connor makes a smart choice to have the actors mime the use of guns–allowing us to detach from the visual trigger of violence until, eventually, we're forced to face reality." Josh Garstka, Talkin' Broadway "Hats off to this Lyric Stage production. Performed in an intimate space, the cast and the energy spill out into every corner of the house." Deborah Barlow, Slow Muse "The folks at Lyric Stage Company in Boston have lit the fuse to a veritable powder keg of a new season with an elite staging of the Stephen Sondheim musical “ASSASSINS” that simply, in a word, slays. Kevin T. Baldwin, METRMag.com "A terrific production." Jared Bowen, GBH “It features a top notch ensemble, great vocals, clever staging, and tonal continuity from the tragic to the tragically absurd, all smartly directed by Producing Artistic Director Courtney O’Connor.”-Joyce Kulhawik, Joyce’s Choices "Musical Director Dan Rodriguez is responsible for the beautifully delivered solos and superlative live orchestra (Rodriguez on keys, Louis Toth, winds; Paul Perfetti, brass; and Doug Lippincott, percussion)."-Lynne Weiss, Stage and Cinema "The well seasoned cast features a collection of many of Boston’s talented performers."-Susan Mulford, Boston and Beyond "Assassins” is seamless, and there is never a dull moment — the show is guaranteed to leave audiences speechless."-Makayla I. Gathers, The Harvard Crimson "This production helps solidify the Lyric Stage Company’s role, established over the last decade, as the preeminent interpreter of Sondheim in Boston, first under the late Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos and now Courtney O’Connor, who succeeded Veloudos in that role and who directed this production of Assassins. Gratefully, the Sondheim oeuvre is vast, so we can look forward to more to come."-Martin B. Copenhaver, The Arts Fuse "Lyric Stage’s Producing Artistic Director Courtney O’Connor helms this perfectly cast production, which can be harrowing in its depiction of these macabre malcontents, but also very funny in certain moments."-R. Scott Reedy, Broadway World

Robert St. Laurence*, Christopher Chew*, and Daniel Forest Sullivan (Photo by Mark S. Howard)