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Regional Reviews: Los Angeles
What is Assassins today, in its production at the Pico Playhouse? In the immediate aftermath of an on-air shooting of television personalities and an execution-style killing of a police officer, it is a show about gun violence. Obviously, this is explicit in Sondheim's lyrics to "Gun Song"—where our cast of assassins sing about how a gun gives you the power to change the world. But it's also present in the climactic confrontation between Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth, wherein Booth convinces Oswald to shoot Kennedy, not for any political reason, but for Oswald to get the attention and recognition he craves. Director Dan Fishbach stages the show in a way to emphasize this. The assassins aren't always in character; costume changes and transformations into the assassins take place in plain view of the audience. It's as though the show is saying that assassins aren't especially crazy or unique; anyone can turn into one, if he is desperate enough, and can get his hands on a weapon. (Fishbach also adds an effective final image to the show which underlines this point.) The on-stage costume changes would be more effective, though, if they were pulled off seamlessly. At the performance reviewed, a citizen's transformation into Emma Goldman (not herself an assassin, but a motivating force in the eyes of Leon Czolgosz) was so troublesome, the audience was more concerned with whether Goldman would have a skirt on before the music ended than with the scene itself. Other elements of the production were also a bit off; the ensemble and the band weren't quite on the same rhythm for the first part of "How I Saved Roosevelt." The performances of our assassins are decidedly mixed. Jeff Alan-Lee is an outstanding Charles Guiteau, drawing a perfect balance between his wide-eyed crazy dance to the gallows and occasional momentary recognition of his reality. Jason Peter Kennedy brings a real dark creepiness to Giuseppe Zangara's last words in the electric chair. Nick Tubbs has a lovely voice as the Balladeer, and adds some good editorial commentary via physical expressions. On the less successful end of things, Travis Rhett Wilson's Booth sings well, but has none of the charisma, intelligence, or inflated opinion of his possession of those traits that we expect from the character. Opposite him, Sean Benedicts Oswald comes off as too articulate and intelligent. The combination means the key scene in the play fails to ignite. We need to see Oswald's tightly wound frustration at life, and Booth manipulating him into somehow thinking that assassination is a plausible solution to his problems. As it stands, the scene just falls flat. It's unfortunate because so much of the show—not just lyrics and dialogue, but directorial touches—resonates with current headlines. It just needs stronger performances. Assassins runs at the Pico Playhouse through September 27, 2015. For tickets and information, see www.assassinsmusicalla.com. Cast: Red Blanket Productions with Punk Monkey Productions Presents Assassins. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by John Weidman. Assassins is based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. Directed by Dan Fishbach; Music Director Anthony Lucca; Choreographer Lili Fuller; Set Design Alex Kolmanovsky; Costume Design Stephanie Beth Petagno; Lighting Design Will Adashek; Sound Design Philip G. Allen; Property Master Shen Heckle; Stage Manager Summer Grubaugh.
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