Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Assassins by Stephen Sondheim Assassins review – a killer staging of Sondheim’s musical. T he American Dream promised happiness. As did the traditional American musical. Assassins turns all that on its head. In brief scenes and era- hopping music, it gives voice to men and women who set out to kill American presidents – an act that, it is neatly pointed out, makes them not murderers but assassins. And guarantees them celebrity. Jamie Lloyd’s production brilliantly captures the essence of Stephen Sondheim’s show, set in the shooting gallery of a fairground. Giddy hopes and grisly outcomes. A string of golden lights dangle above the stage as if at a fair. Underneath, scenes are snarled out, with each shot lighting up a golden big HIT (JFK) or MISS (Nixon). A swashbuckling Catherine Tate plays the woman who shot at Gerald Ford and missed; Carly Bawden is the Mansonite (“At least Charlie’s the son of God”) whose gun failed to go off. Some strong double turns put the evening on a knife-edge. Simon Lipkin, pallid and blood-streaked, plays both fairground huckster and presidential victims. A nervily lugubrious Jamie Parker is Lee Harvey Oswald as well as the banjo-strumming balladeer who holds the episodes together. There is bluegrass and hurdy-gurdy and spiritual. In a sudden, daring switch of perspective the voices of non-assassins are heard singing about what they were doing when Kennedy was shot: “I was folding sheets”; “I was getting a shoe shine”. Theirs is the most familiar Sondheim sound – interwoven accounts of daily life delivered to a thrumming pulse. It brings into dazzling, sharp relief the jaggedness and outrage of what has come earlier. ASSASSINS. a revue in one act. Book by John Weidman, from an idea by Charles Gilbert Junior. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Produced at Playwrights Horizons, New York, 27 January, 1991 (25 perfs) with Jace Alexander (Oswald), Victor Garber (Booth), Annie Golden ("Squeaky" Fromme) and Lee Wilkof (Byck). Produced at the Donmar Warehouse, London, 29 October 1992 with Gareth Snook, David Firth, Cathryn Bradshaw and Ciaran Hinds. Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway 27 January, 1991 - (25 perfs) Story. The evening begins with "Hail To The Chief" - not in its familiar stirringly patriotic certainty, but eerily arranged for a carnival calliope, and not to announce the entrance of the President but of his would-be assassins. We are at a fairground, in front of a shooting gallery which boasts a unique entertainment: "Shoot the President - win a Prize". As the Proprietor ballyhoos his sideshow, eight figures come forward one by one to chance their luck, assassins drawn from over a century of American history. They are a disparate group, one dressed in a 19th century frock coat, another as a department store Santa. But each is handed his own distinctive gun - the preferred means of ultimate political protest in the United States. "EVERYBODY'S GOT THE RIGHT to be happy", the Proprietor asserts. Everybody's got the right to their dreams: isn't that the American way? The last to arrive is John Wilkes Booth, who promptly uses his newly-acquired weapon on President Lincoln. As the fatal shots ring out, the Balladeer steps out to sing THE BALLAD OF BOOTH - "a handsome devil who decided to take his bad reviews out on his Chief of State. Holed up in a tobacco barn with his confederate David Herold, Booth is determined to set down his version of events: he's not a common cut- throat, not a madman, but someone who did what he did for his country, who slew a tyrant - as Brutus did. But, even as Booth dies, the Balladeer's banjo ballad returns to point out that, thanks to him, Lincoln, who'd hitherto received mixed reviews, now gets only raves. The other assassins are in a bar. "Has Nixon been in?" asks Samuel Byck, still wearing his Santa suit. But it seems not. Booth is back, though, just in time to hear Giuseppe Zangara complaining about how nothing seems to relieve the pain in his stomach. Booth suggests shooting FDR. "Will it help?" asks Zangara. But Zangara's attempt misfires and he kills, instead, Mayor Cermak of Chicago. Grouped around the radio microphones in Miami's Bayfront Park, a handful of bystanders boast, over the strains of a Sousa march, of "HOW 1 SAVED ROOSEVELT", while, strapped into the electric chair, Zangara insists he is not left or right, only an "American nothing". The song ends as the current is switched on. Forty years later, in the mid-Seventies, Sara Jane Moore and Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme meet up over a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, discuss the evils of fast food and end up taking pot shots at the graven image of Colonel Sanders. Neither is very good with a gun, but at least they have one. "It takes a lot of men to make a gun," says Leon Czolgosz, a lumbering glass-factory worker contemplating the significance and power of his weapon. In THE GUN SONG, Czolgosz, Moore, Booth and Charles Guiteau identify, in barbershop harmonies, the advantages of firearms: all you have to do is move your little finger and you can change the world. The others wander off, leaving Czolgosz alone to consider what he should do. He is an admirer of the anarchist agitator Emma Goldman and, after one of her meetings, she suggested that he might like to visit the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. He does, and the Balladeer takes up the story in THE BALLAD OF CZOLGOSZ. As President McKinley shakes hands with visitors to the Exposition, Czolgosz wraps his gun in a handkerchief, joins the President's excited admirers and kills Big Bill. 1n the USA, you can work your way to the head of the line". Back to the Seventies: Samuel Byck, an out-of-work tyre salesman, has hatched a bold scheme to kill President Nixon and is explaining it, via his cassette machine, to Leonard Bernstein, the busy conductor and composer. "Maybe if you can't listen now," suggests Byck, aware of the pressures on the maestro's time, "you can listen 'Tonight, tonight . . .' 1 love that song". His message completed, he leaves singing "Everything's great in America . . ." John Hinckley also enjoys singing, but only his own compositions, angrily accompanied on his acoustic guitar. "I am UNWORTHY OF YOUR LOVE", he admits in an overwrought ballad addressed to his "girlfriend", Jodie Foster. Lynette Fromme watches and then delivers her own version of the number, addressed to her lover (and the new Messiah) Charles Manson. But Hinckley blows his opportunity to prove his worthiness to Jodie when he starts shooting unsuccessfully at a photo of President Reagan that is projected on to the back wall. The President just keeps wisecracking his way through the bullets - and, hey, where'd that guy learn to shoot anyway? The Russian army? Charles Guiteau has better luck. In 1881, he meets President Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac station in Washington and asks to be made Ambassador to France. Garfield ignores him and is fatally shot in the back. Failed lawyer, preacher, politician and author, Garfield's killer is looking forward to being an angel and, in THE BALLAD OF GUITEAU (I AM GOING TO THE LORDY), cakewalks up and down the gallows steps with irrepressible cheerfulness. Before his assassination of Garfield and execution, Guiteau had given Sara Jane Moore some lessons in how to shoot up her Kentucky Fried Chicken more accurately. But they don't seem to have paid off. Trying now to shoot President Ford, she kills her dog instead. And she got all her dates mixed up, so she had to bring the kid along and he's screaming for an ice-cream and Lynette is screaming at her for bring the kid and the dog to an assassination. "Look, we came here to kill the President", shrieks Moore. "Let's just kill him and go home". Enter President Ford, who trips on the bullets she's dropped, very considerately hands them back to her and proceeds on his way as Moore and Fromme pull their triggers helplessly behind him. After Sam Byck's abortive mission to crash an airliner into the White House, he and the seven other assassins come together to explain their motives: one did it to avenge the ravaged South, another so her friends would know where she was coming from. Now, they want their prizes. For the first time, they are no longer freakish, embittered, angry individuals but a group with a common purpose, marching to ANOTHER NATIONAL ANTHEM - not the one you cheer at the ballpark, but the anthem of those who can't get in. As the march dies away, the Blue Ridge Boys play Heartache Serenade, and we're listening to a transistor radio in the sixth floor storeroom of the Texas School Book Depository on 22 November 1963. On the verge of taking his own life, Lee Harvey Oswald is interrupted by Booth and the other assassins, and invited instead to make history. The assassins who preceded Oswald say he will bring them back; those who came after him say he will make them possible, by once again making assassinations a part of the American experience. His act can give them historical power as a united force, not as a bunch of isolated "nuts". Oswald refuses and Booth entices him with the statement that when Hinckley's room is searched after his assassination attempt on President Reagan, every book written about Oswald will be found. Through the window, flags are flying, bands are marching to patriotic tunes, the President's motorcade is about to pass by the cheering crowds. 1n here, this is America, too", says Booth - the land where any kid can grow up to be President, or grow up to kill a President. Oswald picks up his gun and moves to the window. As President Kennedy dies, his assassin takes his place among his confreres in the last empty booth at the carnival. He has brought them back, he has made them possible, and, for those ordinary Americans, who'll always remember where they were when they heard the news, SOMETHING JUST BROKE. Their despair stands in quiet contrast to the jaunty reprise of their theme, EVERYBODY'S GOT THE RIGHT . to their dreams. And, as in all the happy endings in all the best musicals, your dream can come true if you just go out and get it. Characters. JOHN WILKES BOOTH - An actor and passionate champion of the South during the Civil War. GIUSEPPE ZANGARA - A short (under five feet) immigrant who failed to kill Franklin Roosevelt because he had to stand on a chair and it wobbled. LEON CZOLGOSZ - The son of Polish immigrants, a worker in a glass factory and supporter of anarchist groups. JOHN HINCKLEY - A man who shot President Reagan and three others to impress a girl he'd never met. CHARLES GUITEAU - A Republican who wrote a campaign speech for President Garfield and ended up shooting him to promote the sales of his book. SARA JANE MOORE - A five-times married FBI informer who tried to kill President Ford to re- establish her radical credentials. LYNETTE "SQUEAKY FROMME - A member of the "family" of disciples of the mass murderer Charles Manson, who pulled a gun on President Ford so she could call Charlie as a witness. SAMUEL BYCK - An unemployed loner who picketed the White House on Christmas Eve dressed as Santa Claus and died trying to implement his assassination plan at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. LEE HARVEY OSWALD - A stock boy in the Texas School Book Depository. THE BALLADEER - A singing witness to national catastrophe. THE PROPRIETOR - The insinuating barker of a fairground shooting gallery. DAVID HEROLD - Booth's accomplice. EMMA GOLDMAN - An anarchist celebrity. GERALD FORD - Briefly President of the United States, 1974-1977. JAMES GARFIELD - President of the United States, briefly, in 1881. BYSTANDERS, CITIZENS, etc. Musical Numbers: Opening: Everybody's Got The Right - Proprietor, Assassins The Ballad Of Booth, Part II - Balladeer, Booth How I Saved Roosevelt - Ensemble, Zangara Gun Song - Czolgosz, Booth, Guiteau, Moore The Ballad of Czolgosz, Part III - Balladeer Unworthy Of Your Love - Hinckley, Fromme The Ballad Of Guiteau - Guiteau, Balladeer Another National Anthem - Balladeer, Assassins Something Just Broke - Ensemble Everybody's Got The Right (Finale) Orchestration. REED I - Piccolo, Flute, Soprano Sax, Clarinet. REED II - Flute, Clarinet, Eh Clarinet, Bass Clarinet REED III - Flute, Soprano Sax, Tenor Sax, Bassoon 2 TRUMPETS HORN TROMBONE GUITAR 2 KEYBOARDS 2 PERCUSSION STRING QUINTET. Classic Stage Company has a treat: Three 'Assassins' casts. NEW YORK -- White House hopefuls may want to steer clear of Classic Stage Company next week: Not one or even two, but three casts of the dark musical “Assassins” are massing. The off-Broadway powerhouse is celebrating the Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman show about the men and women who killed or tried to kill the president of the United States with a unique fundraising event. Cast members of the 1990 world premiere will join virtually with the 2004 Tony-winning revival, as well as the cast of the upcoming Classic Stage Company production for an hourlong filmed program on April 15 that mixes memories and music, exploring the show from the actors' points of view. “To hear these different companies of actors — three generations of actors, really — communicating about the same roles, it’s a pretty unique situation. It’s not something that you get the chance to do very often,” said the company's Tony Award-winning Artistic Director John Doyle. Other celebrities will include André De Shields, Raúl Esparza, Audra McDonald and George Takei. There will be one person participating with an intimate knowledge of the White House: Hillary Clinton. Clinton has been a big booster of theater and took in the last Broadway performance of Doyle's “A Color Purple” in 2017. A request was put to her office and Clinton quickly responded that she was on board. “She speaks very beautifully about the importance of the piece and the importance of the piece in our time,” said Doyle. “To hear her talk about her love for the theater and the importance of theater coming back — the importance of us being together again — it’s very meaningful, I think.” The streaming event, “Tell the Story: Celebrating Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s ‘Assassins,’” comes a year after COVID-19 stymied the company’s 2020 shot at staging its revival, under Doyle's direction. “Assassins” is now in a holding pattern — it will be the first show Classic Stage Company will put on when New York theaters reopen. The finished set — painted and lonely — will be shown during the event. In “Assassins,” Weidman and Sondheim present a cavalcade of real-life misfits, the desperate and the disaffected, who killed or tried to kill the president of the United States. These individuals — from John Wilkes Booth to John Hinckley Jr. — each get a moment to explain why they did what they did. Weidman’s story follows a revue-like format as it travels along a disjointed path of American history and the quest for attention, among other themes. Like many Sondheim-Weidman projects, it was ahead of it's time. “There was a kind of a reluctance by professional companies to touch it because I think it made them nervous,” Weidman said. “I feel as though audiences and the country have caught up with where Steve and I started. And that’s very satisfying.” Viewers of the fundraiser will get to see the three actresses who've played Sara Jane Moore — Gerald Ford's attempted assassin — talk about the role. They'll hear the three Booths — Victor Garber, Michael Cerveris and Steven Pasquale — tell stories and sing. Three Lynette “Squeaky” Frommes and three Hinckleys will join virtually to sing “Unworthy of Your Love.” All companies will join in a finale. Members of the 1990 world premiere include Garber, Patrick Cassidy, Greg Germann, Annie Golden, Lyn Greene, Jonathan Hadary, Eddie Korbich, Terrence Mann, Debra Monk, William Parry and Lee Wilkoff. The 2004 Tony-winning revival cast includes Cerveris, Becky Ann Baker, Mario Cantone, Mary Catherine Garrison, Alexander Gemignani, Ken Krugman, Marc Kudisch, Anne L. Nathan, Denis O’Hare, Chris Peluso and Sally Wilfert. They'll be joined by the cast of the upcoming Classic Stage Company production, which stars Pasquale, Adam Chanler-Berat, Eddie Cooper, Tavi Gevinson, Brad Giovanine, Andy Grotelueschen, Bianca Horn, Judy Kuhn, Whit K. Lee, Rob Morrison, Ethan Slater, Will Swenson, Wesley Taylor, Brandon Uranowitz and Katrina Yaukey. Kuhn, a Tony-nominated actor with such credits as “Fun Home” and Sondheim's “Passion,” said she saw the Broadway production of “Assassins” and signed up for the Classic Stage Company version before she'd read the script. “I think it really forces us to ask, ‘What is America? What is the American dream? Who is the American dream available to?’" she said. "There’s so much in it, and I think we understand it more and more as time goes on because I think we get a little bit more self-aware as a country.” Doyle noted that the show's world premiere in 1990 coincided with the outbreak of the Gulf War and the Broadway version had to be delayed after 9/11. The Classic Stage Company version was planned during one presidential administration and will be performed during another, with a Capitol insurrection in the middle. “World events have affected all three shows, which has been really interesting,” he said. Doyle interviewed the performers and edited their thoughts down. “It’s been wonderful to see where the actors have led the conversation to,” he said. “We’re just grateful for the people who will watch it, because I think the story is so worth constantly telling.” Assassins by Stephen Sondheim. Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim. Book: John Weidman. The idea for Assassins first planted itself in Stephen Sondheim's mind when he was serving on a panel at Stuart Ostrow's Musical Theater Lab and read a play by a young playwright named Charles Gilbert. Gilbert had submitted a script about a fictional presidential assassin, and although Sondheim found the play itself problematic, he was fascinated by the peripheral material Gilbert had compiled--letters and anecdotes from actual assassins. Several years later, after obtaining permission from Gilbert, Sondheim decided to tackle the project along with John Weidman, a lyricist whom he had previously collaborated with on Pacific Overtures . Originally, Sondheim and Weidman intended to explore the lives of assassins throughout history beginning with Brutus and Julius Caesar, but they soon realized this was far too broad a topic and decided to limit themselves to assassins who had attempted to kill the President of the United States. As the project developed, their task soon became clear--to dramatize the unpopular thesis that the most notorious killers in our culture are as much a product of that culture as the famous leaders they attempt to murder. As the musical opens, a crowd is gathering at a carnival shooting gallery which features a revolving wheel on which various Presidents are depicted. Attempting to entice customers towards his stand, the proprietor of this little shooting gallery shouts out loudly, "C'mere and kill a President!" From this nightmarish beginning, the play goes on to examine the lives of various men and women who have committed--or attempted to commit--the ultimate crime. Sondheim and Weidman show little regard for historical accuracy, freely mixing characters from different periods in a kaleidoscopic, hallucinatory revue. From Samuel Byck who hijacked a plane and tried to kill Nixon by crashing into the White House to Charles Manson groupie Squeaky Fromme to the infamous John Wilkes Booth--each presidential assassin is made to confront the fact that his or her act of meaningless violence failed to bring about the desired results. For these lost souls, Sondheim composes "Another National Anthem," the nightmarish underside of the American dream. The musical comes into sharp focus as we are transported to the Texas School Book Depository, November 22, 1963, where Lee Harvey Oswald, lonely and distraught, prepares to take his own life. That is, until Booth and the other assassins arrive and attempt to transform him into their avenging angel. Oswald, they believe, is their savior. He can justify their actions and secure for them all a place in history. Kennedy's assassination will be a watershed event--a crucial test against which all other acts of political violence will be measured. They feel this final act, if successful, will somehow legitimize their senseless lives. As the play builds to a climax, the assassins chant: We admire you. We're your family. You are the future. We're depending on you. Make us proud. All you have to do is squeeze your little finger. Squeeze your little finger. You can change the wor-- (Oswald Fires.) Assassins premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on December 18, 1990 with a cast that included Victor Garber (Booth), Terrence Mann (Czolgosz), Jonathan Hadary (Guiteau), Lee Wilkof (Byck), Annie Golden (Fromm), Debra Monk (Moore), Patrick Cassidy (Balladeer), Greg Germann (Hinckley), and Jace Alexander (Oswald). The play opened to a sold-out run of 73 performances, but in spite of Sondheim's reputation, the musical did not transfer to a larger house. The United States was on the verge of the Persian-Gulf War, and the country was in a state of patriotic fervor. Audiences were not ready for the message Sondheim and Weidman were delivering. In fact, it was not until the passions of war cooled and the soundtrack was realeased on compact disc that Assassins truly began to be receive the critical acclaim that it deserves. Assassins by Stephen Sondheim. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by John Weidman Based on an idea by Charles L. Gilbert, Jr. 1990 Playwrights Horizons Production. Opened December 18, 1990 at Playwrights Horizons, NYC Closed on February 16, 1991; Ran for 73 performances Produced by Playwrights Horizons [Artistic Director, Andre Bishop; Executive Director, Paul S. Daniels; Musical Theatre Program Director, Ira Weitzman] Directed by Jerry Zaks Set Design by Loren Sherman Costume Design by William Ivey Long Lighting Design by Paul Gallo Sound Design by Scott Lehrer Hair Design by Angela Gari Choreography by D.J. Giagni Musical Direction by Paul Gemignani Orchestrations by Michael Starobin. Proprietor - William Parry Leon Czolgosz - Terrence Mann John Hinckley - Greg Germann Charles Guiteau - Jonathan Hadary Giuseppe Zangara - Eddie Korbich Samuel Byck - Lee Wilkof Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme - Annie Golden Sara Jane Moore - Debra Monk John Wilkes Booth - Victor Garber Balladeer - Patrick Cassidy David Herold - Marcus Olson Bartender - John Jellison Emma Goldman - Lyn Greene James Garfield - William Parry James Blaine - John Jellison Hangman - Marcus Olson Warden - John Jellison Billy - Michael Shulman Gerald Ford - William Parry Lee Harvey Oswald - Jace Alexander Bystanders - Joy Franz, Lyn Greene, John Jellison, Marcus Olson, William Parry Fairgoers - Joy Franz, Lyn Greene, John Jellison, Marcus Olson, William Parry, Michael Shulman. Understudies - Ted Brunetti, Joy Franz, Davis Gaines, John Jellison, Julia Kiley, J. R. Nutt, Marcus Olson, Wiliam Parry. Musicians. Musical Numbers. "Everybody's Got the Right" - Proprietor, Czolgosz, Hinckley, Guiteau, Zangara, Byck, Fromme, Moore, Booth "The Ballad of Booth" - Balladeer, Booth, David Harold "How I Saved Roosevelt" - Bystanders, Zangara "Gun Song" - Czolgosz, Booth, Guiteau, Moore "The Ballad of Czolgosz" - Balladeer, Fairgoers "Unworthy of Your Love" - Hinckley, Fromme "The Ballad of Guiteau" - Guiteau, Balladeer "Another National Anthem" - Czolgosz, Booth, Hinckley, Fromme, Zangara, Guiteau, Moore, Byck, Balladeer "November 22, 1963" - Booth, Oswald, Guiteau, Czolgosz, Byck, Hinckley, Fromme, Moore, Zangara "Finale: Everybody's Got the Right" - Booth, Czolgosz, Moore, Guiteau, Zangara, Byck, Hinckley, Fromme, Oswald. Recording. Assassins - Original Cast Recording Produced by Jay David Sacks Engineered by Paul Goodman and James Nichols Digitally recorded March 6 - 7, 1991 at BMG's Studio C, New York City Enhanced orchestrations for this recording by Michael Starobin Liner notes by Jonathan Schwartz Lyrics included. Compact Disc, 1991 [RCA 60737-2-RC] (56:57 mins.) Cassette, 1991 [RCA 60737-4-RC] Everybody's Got the Right (6:03), The Ballad of Booth (9:21), How I Saved Roosevelt (4:36), Gun Song / The Ballad of Czolgosz (7:12), Unworthy of Your Love (3:29), The Ballad of Guiteau (4:52), Another National Anthem (6:07), November 22, 1963 (10:47), Final Sequence - You Can Close the New York Stock Exchange [includes Family and Everybody's Got the Right (reprise) ] (4:19) 1992 Signature Theatre Production. Opened August 20, 1992 at Theatretwo, Gunston Arts Center, Arlington VA Closed October 3, 1992 Produced by Signature Theatre [Artistic Director: Eric D. Schaeffer; Managing Director: Donna Lillard; Executive Producer: Ronnie Gunderson] Direction and Staging by Eric D. Schaeffer Set Design by Lou Stancari Costume Design by Debi Tesser Lighting Design by John Burchett Hair Design by Wanda Alston Properties Design by Barbara Hyde Multi-media Design by Ellen West Sound Design by Richard West Technical Director: Steve Daigler Assistant Director: Dot Neumann Stage Manager: Ronnie Gunderson Musical Direction: Jon Kalbfleisch Orchestrations by Michael Starobin. Leon Czolgosz - Richard Potter John Hinckley - Wallace Acton Charles Guiteau - Sean Baldwin Giuseppe Zangara - Gregg Glaviano Samuel Byck - Joe Dodd Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme - Suzanne Dennis Sara Jane Moore - Donna Lillard John Wilkes Booth - Buzz Mauro Balladeer - Michael Sharp Emma Goldman - Judy Simmons Lee Harvey Oswald - David Lee Proprietor - Jason Fulmer Boy - Mark Straub or Samuel B. Whittington Ensemble - David Elias, Gregory Gjurich, Mary Gjurich, Judy Simmons Swings - David Patrick Felton, Anita Miller. Musical Numbers. "Opening" [Everybody's Got the Right] - The Company "The Ballad of Booth" - Balladeer, Booth "How I Saved Roosevelt" - Bystanders, Zangara "Gun Song" - Czolgosz, Booth, Guiteau, Moore "The Ballad of Czolgosz" - Balladeer, Bystanders "Unworthy of Your Love" - Hinckley, Fromme "The Ballad of Guiteau" - Guiteau, Balladeer "Another National Anthem" - Assassins "Everybody Has the Right" [Everybody's Got the Right] - Assassins. 1992 London Production. Opened October 29, 1992 at the Donmar Warehouse, London Closed January 9, 1993; Ran for 76 performances Directed by Sam Mendes Set Design / Costumes by Anthony Ward Lighting by Paul Pyant Musical Direction: Jeremy Sams Performance Musical Director: Mark Dorrell Orchestrations by Michael Starobin Sound Design by John A. Leonard Costume Supervisor: Christine Rowland. The Proprietor - Paul Bentley Leon Czolgosz - Jack Ellis John Hinckley - Michael Cantwell Charles Guiteau - Henry Goodman Giuseppe Zangara - Paul Harrhy Samuel Byck - Ciaran Hinds Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme - Cathryn Bradshaw Sara Jane Moore - Louise Gold John Wilkes Booth - David Firth The Balladeer - Anthony Barclay David Herold - Kevin Walton Emma Goldman - Sue Kelvin Pres. James Garfield - Kevin Walton James Blaine - Gareth Snook Pres. Gerald Ford - Paul Bentley Lee Harvey Oswald - Gareth Snook Bystanders - Paul Bentley, Michelle Fine, Sue Kelvin, Gareth Snook, and Kevin Walton. Musical Numbers. [Same as the Original Production except for a song added for this production: "Something Just Broke", performed before the Finale] Lawrence Olivier Awards. Best Actor in a Musical (Henry Goodman) 2004 Broadway Production. Previews began March 26, 2004 at Studio 54 Opened April 22, 2004; closed July 18 2004 Ran for 26 previews and 101 performances Produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company [Todd Haimes, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Managing Director; Julia C. Levy, Executive Director, External Affairs] Directed by Joe Mantello Musical Direction by Paul Gemignani Musical Staging by Jonathan Butterell Set Design by Robert Brill Costume Design by Susan Hilferty Lighting Design by Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer Sound Design by Dan Moses Schrier Orchestrations by Michael Starobin Orchestra Conducted by Nicholas Archer. Proprietor - Marc Kudisch [replaced by John Schiappa] Leon Czolgosz - James Barbour John Hinckley - Alexander Gemignani Charles Guiteau - Denis O'Hare Giuseppe Zangara - Jeffrey Kuhn Samuel Byck - Mario Cantone Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme - Mary Catherine Garrison Sara Jane Moore - Becky Ann Baker John Wilkes Booth - Michael Cerveris Balladeer - Neil Patrick Harris David Herold - Brandon Wardell Emma Goldman - Anne L. Nathan James Blaine - James Clow President James Garfield - Merwin Foard Billy - Eamon Foley President Gerald Ford - James Clow Lee Harvey Oswald - Neil Patrick Harris Ensemble - James Clow, Merwin Foard, Eamon Foley, Kendra Kassebaum, Anne L. Nathan, and Brandon Wardell Swings - Ken Krugman, Sally Wilfert and Chris Peluso. Musical Numbers. "Everybody's Got the Right" - Proprietor, Czolgosz, Guiteau, Fromme, Byck, Booth, Zangara, Hinckley, Moore "The Ballad of Booth" - Balladeer and Booth "How I Saved Roosevelt" - Zangara and Ensemble "Gun Song" - Czolgosz, Booth, Guiteau, Moore "The Ballad of Czolgosz" - Balladeer and Ensemble "Unworthy of Your Love" - Hinckley and Fromme "The Ballad of Guiteau" - Guiteau and Balladeer "Another National Anthem" - Proprietor, Czolgosz, Booth, Hinckley, Fromme, Zangara, Moore, Guiteau, Byck, Balladeer "Something Just Broke" - Ensemble "Everybody's Got the Right" (reprise) - Moore, Byck, Czolgosz, Zangara, Fromme, Hinckley, Oswald, Guiteau, Booth. Recording. Everybody's Got the Right (6:32), The Ballad of Booth (8:33), "Ladies and gentlemen, a toast!" (1:03), How I Saved Roosevelt (4:51), "What does a man do. " (0:51), Gun Song (4:47), The Ballad of Czolgosz (2:44), Unworthy of Your Love (4:29), "I am a terrifying and imposing figure. " (1:24), The Ballad of Guiteau (5:17), "Have it your way. " (4:34), Another National Anthem (5:27), "Take a look, Lee." [includes Family ] (5:26), Something Just Broke (3:19), Everybody's Got the Right (2:31) 2008 London Production. Opened January 23, 2008 at the Landor Theatre, London Closed February 2, 2008; Ran for 10 performances Produced by West 72nd Productions Directed by Ben Carrick Design by Ben Pickering Lighting by Helena Pemberton Musical Direction and Orchestration: Richard Bates Sound Design by Natasha Bonner. The Proprietor; Emma Goldman - Kirsten Parks Leon Czolgosz - Sebastian Palka John Hinckley - Graham Weaver Charles Guiteau - Jeff Nicholson Giuseppe Zangara - Alex Browne Samuel Byck - Kris Webb Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme - April Small Sara Jane Moore - Jenni Bowden John Wilkes Booth - Christopher Ragland The Balladeer - Nathan Kiley Lee Harvey Oswald - Tim Jackling Ensemble; Billy - Claire Daly Ensemble - Langley Brandon Ensemble - Claire McGarahan. Musical Numbers. 2010 London Production. Opened June 30, 2010 at Union Theatre, London Closed July 24, 2010 Produced by Union Theatre Directed by Michael Strassen Lighting Design by Steve Miller Choreography by Michael Strassen Musical Direction by Michael Bradley Musical Supervision by Chris Mundy Orchestrations by Richard Bates. Leon Czolgosz - Adam Jarrell John Hinckley - Paul Callen Charles Guiteau - John Barr Giuseppe Zangara - Joe Alessi Samuel Byck - Nick Holder Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme - Alison Larnder Sara Jane Moore - Leigh McDonald John Wilkes Booth - Glyn Kerslake The Balladeer - Nolan Frederick David Herold - Anthony Delaney Emma Goldman - Lisa Stokke James Garfield - Neil Canfer Gerald Ford - Neil Canfer Lee Harvey Oswald - Marc Joseph Ensemble: David Brooks, Neil Canfer, Anthony Delaney, Hannah Bingham, and Holly Easterbrook. Another National Anthem Company Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 Company Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Patrick Cassidy and Victor Garber Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 Stephen Sondheim: The Story So Far. 2008 Patrick Cassidy and Victor Garber Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall 1993 Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh Mendelssohn Sings Sondheim 1995 Patrick Cassidy and Scott Waara Sondheim: A Celebration [S.T.A.G.E.] 1997 Neil Patrick Harris and Michael Cerveris Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Patrick Cassidy and Chorus Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 Neil Patrick Harris and Ensemble Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Jonathan Hadary and Patrick Cassidy Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 Denis O'Hare and Neil Patrick Harris Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Company Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 Stephen Sondheim: The Story So Far. 2008 John Aller, Paul Carr, Bridget Hoffman, David Holladay, Jean Kauffman, Kevin Loreque, Alan Safier, Sean Smith, and Steve Wilde Sondheim: A Celebration [S.T.A.G.E.] 1997 Company Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Company Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 [as part of the track titled "Final Sequence: You Can Close the New York Stock Exchange"] Company Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 [as part of the track titled "Take a look, Lee."] Company Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 [includes Family and Everybody's Got the Right (reprise) ] Company Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Terrence Mann, Victor Garber, Jonathan Hadary, and Debra Monk Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 Company Putting It Together 1993 Susannah Mars Take Me to the World 1998 [LML CD-106] James Barbour, Michael Cerveris, Denis O'Hare, and Becky Ann Baker Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Eddie Korbich and Company Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 Jeffrey Kuhn and Ensemble Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Ensemble Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Greg Germann and Annie Golden Assassins Original Cast Recording 1991 Celebrate Broadway Duets 1995 [RCA Victor 68035] Send in the Clowns: The Ballads 2002 Alexander Gemignani and Mary Catherine Garrison Assassins Broadway Cast Recording 2004 Alexander Gemignani and Annie Golden Wall to Wall Sondheim 2006. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1991; 107 pp. [1-55936-039-9] [hc] [1-55936-038-0] [pbk] Secaucus NJ: Warner Bros. Publications VF1765, 1991; 148 pp. [prepared by Tony Esposito and Jeff Sultanof] Miami FL: Warner Bros. Publications VF1765 [076920208X], 1999; 152 pp. [edited by Carol Cuellar] $75.00 Secaucus NJ: Warner Bros. Publications VF1764, 1992; 63 pp. [includes "The Ballad of Booth", "The Ballad of Czolgosz", "Unworthy of Your Love", "The Ballad of Guiteau", "Everybody's Got the Right"] Secaucus NJ: Warner Bros. Publications VS6153, 1993; 16 pp. ["Something Just Broke"] Secaucus NJ: Warner Bros. Publications VF1978, 1993 ; 77 pp. [includes "The Ballad of Booth", "The Ballad of Czolgosz", "Unworthy of Your Love", "The Ballad of Guiteau", "Something Just Broke", "Everybody's Got the Right"] Miami FL: Warner Bros. Publications VF1978 [0769202047], 1999 ; 84 pp. [edited by Sy Feldman; includes "The Ballad of Booth", "The Ballad of Czolgosz", "Unworthy of Your Love", "The Ballad of Guiteau", "Something Just Broke", "Everybody's Got the Right" (Finale)] Milwaukee: Hal Leonard HL 00313452 [ISBN: 978-1-4234-7286-5], November 2010; 88pp.; $16.99 [includes "The Ballad Of Booth (Part I)", "The Ballad Of Czolgosz (Part I)", "The Ballad Of Guiteau", "Everybody's Got The Right", "Something Just Broke", "Unworthy Of Your Love"] Performance rights controlled by Music Theatre International. Top of Assassins. Last modified on Sunday, April 6, 2014 Compiled by Michael H. Hutchins.