Assassins
West Coast Ensemble (at the El Centro Theatre) has put together, on stage, a musical that enlightens our curiosity and intrigue into the assassination attempts of nine American Presidents.
Known of his tricky musicals, Steven Sondheim's clever "Assassins" fails to intimidate L.A. Actors. "Assassins" tells us the story of each gunman (er..gunperson) who has aimed his or her weapon
toward the President of the United States. Whether or not successful, each attempted assassination leads them following John Wilkes Booth (played by an always entertaining Christopher Davis Carlisle),
who has set a 'president' for succeeding in making himself famous through the assassination of a leader of our free country.
Director Richard Israel has taken sharp steps to satisfy our thirst for dramatic storytelling using music marinated with dark humor. Treating its audience like possible would-be assassins, this production teaches us that 'all you have to do is move your little finger" to 'change the world'.
Samuel Bick (played by John O'Brien) talks into an audio recorder, and we sense his passion for his country as his anger grows, leading to his attempt to end the life of President Nixon.
Guiseppe Zangara (played by Jim Holdridge) attempts to take away the life of President Roosevelt but fails and is punished to death by the electric chair. As Zangara sits in the newly-invented chair, townspeople brag a bout how they were able to save their leader in the song, "How I saved Roosevelt." Holdridge personifies the Italian immigrant with comical expressions of hate, accented with a flawless Italian tongue of resentful indifference.
Beth Lane gallops right alongside writer John Weidman (Book), understanding each and every classic
moment of Weidman's dark wit and performing her role as the clumsy Sara Jane Moore with comic excellence. Lane is quite brilliant as President Ford's determined but inept predator.
Larry Lederman (Leon Czolgosz) 'bottles' up his emotions just right in order to eventually get, as one might pereive, talked into assassinating President McKinley. Lederman is an obvious theatre veteran, holding our hearts in his hands, cradling our empathy for one of the men who attempted to 'kill our country'.
Steven Conner portrays Charles J. Guiteau, the man responsible for assassinating President Garfield. Conner doesn’t miss a beat of busker-like cheesiness, preparing to be hanged in the town square while singing "The Ballad of Guiteau."
David Nadeau (as John Hinckley, Jr.) is quite an impressive performer. Sitting in the audience, the admirer of Jodie Foster writes a letter while the audience takes their seats, making it creepily uncomfortable for whoever takes a seat near him.
Nadeau embodies the formula of an honest and sincere performer of musical theatre. Most impressive is his triple-threat-proving song, "Unworthy of Your Love," a duet with Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme (played by Darrin Revitz), who enters each scene with the energy of a brainwashed devotee of Charles Manson. Making great use of her refulgent eyes to introduce us into the mind
of an unbalanced Fromme, Revitz shares the duet evenhandedly, adding in her own tasteful harmony.
Last and certainly not least, a big hand to Shannon Stoeke. Portraying Lee Harvey Oswald, Stoeke flashes his flamboyant smile through the entire show whenever an assassination attempt is going to happen, creating a confusion and intrigue to us until the end, when his face changes into the foolish, misguided Oswald.
Stephen Gifford (Set Design) and Lisa Katz (Lighting Design) create with what seems to be the same brain, as each idea illuminates the other while, Erin Bedinger's stage management quickly turns the page, moving the story quickly along. Kudos also to musical director Johanna Kent for the oh-so-sweet music tracks accompanied by Richard Berent.
Ty Donaldson (of Buddha-Cowboy Productions) also deserves a mention for his poster design: an American flag waving across the Declaration of Independence, with blood dripping from a bullet hole centered in the red and white stripes.
. . . and here's the only problem. My disagreement with the production was in the casting arena. The role of the Balladeer was written for and is almost always performed by a male actor. The producers of this specific presentation cast a female in the role--for whatever reason. Yes, Dana Reynolds made the most of it with her charming musical theatre pipes and heartwarming smile, but they took a major role and weakened the power of what makes "Assassins" knock you out of your seat. Instead, I could not help but await the arrival of Joseph with his Technicolor dreamcoat. Understandably, there are not enough roles for women in theatre, but I feel that this specific decision "assassinated," if you will, what could have been the only production of "Assassins" that you ever needed to see.
ABSOLUTE MUST SEE MUSICAL of the summer!
On a Grading Scale - A
For more information: www.westcoastensemble.org