Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The second show of MMAS’s season is “Assassins” by Stephen Sondheim which won five Tony Awards in 2004 including Best Revival. “Assassins” lays bare the lives of the nine individuals who assassinated or attempted to assassinate the President of the United States in an historical “revuiscal” that explores the dark side of the American experience while using the premise of a murderous carnival game. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, Sondheim and John Weidman bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would be assassins from different time periods meet, interact and in an intense final scene inspire each other to a harrowing act on their way to the American Dream. The score contains pastiches of American music through the ages from folk to rock to 1970’s soft rock. Director Adam Joy assembles 24 talented cast members to fill these roles while musical director Eli Bigelow taught them this intricate score and Adam who is also the choreographer, supplies them with inventive dance moves, winning them a thunderous standing ovation at the close of this thought provoking musical.
