Assassins (2004)
Overview
This darkly satirical musical reframes American history through the eyes of those who attempted – successfully or not – to kill US presidents. Structured as a surreal carnival sideshow, the piece weaponises American musical traditions – vaudeville, folk ballads, barbershop quartets, patriotic Sousa-style marches and Bacharach pop – to undercut the myth of the “American Dream,” exposing how frustration, alienation and entitlement can curdle into violence.
Cast
Becky Ann Baker
Sara Jane Moore
James Barbour
Leon Czolgosz
Mario Cantone
Samuel Byck
Michael Cerveris
John Wilkes Booth
Mary Catherine Garrison
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme
Alexander Gemignani
John Hinckley Jr.
Neil Patrick Harris
The Balladeer / Lee Harvey Oswald
Marc Kudisch
The Proprietor
Denis O'Hare
Charles Guiteau
Kendra Kassebaum
Ensemble
Anne L. Nathan
Emma Goldman / Ensemble
