Review: Assassins, Bridewell Theatre

A black comedy about a number of assassination attempts on American presidents was always going to be problematic given Donald Trump’s re-election, and unfortunately even though Assassins is an impressively performed and directed piece it still feels poorly judged. None of that is due to how theatre group Sedos have approached the material though, it’s just that this late era Sondheim effort hasn’t aged well at all.

It’s filled with an odd hodge podge of ideas, where an ill-defined framing device sees a large number of famous assassins gathered together at the same convention, hosted by two cheesy TV presenters and involving a group of cheerleaders for reasons which don’t quite make sense and are never explained. There’s no clear narrative either, as the characters take turns to either sing about their beliefs or have a brief chat with one another. It lacks cohesion, and is so absurd it’s unintentionally funny at certain points.

The production attempts to explore why individuals such as John Wilkes Booth, Charles J. Guiteau, Leon Czolgosz, Giuseppe Zangara, and Squeaky Fromme wanted to kill various presidents throughout history, but it never quite seems sure as to what it wants to say. Wilkes Booth initially belts out a number about how appalled he is by Abraham Lincoln’s political choices, and it almost seems quite rational, until Booth’s horrendous racist views are revealed and it’s clear we’re meant to find the man abhorrent.

This wouldn’t be an issue if it was a device used carefully, but every single number follows this fairly predictable direction where they begin in an at least vaguely reasonable manner before becoming increasingly unpleasant, and it’s so unsubtle it becomes quite a chore. Confusingly, it’s later also heavily hinted that a desire for fame is the real reason all of these people wanted to murder a President, even though this clashes with everything which has been said before.

The two female assassins, Sarah Jane Moore and Lynette Frome, seem only to exist to suggest that while women can be murderous, they’re awfully clumsy and rubbish at it. Their main scene involves an extended conversation as to how they both know Charlie Manson, something which doesn’t even come close to passing the Bechdel Test, and in a piece which contains so many arrogant male figures it feels odd that the women featured are only used as daft comic relief.

Musically the majority of the songs are a mixture of styles, which leads to a carnival feel. But it also means that it quickly starts to seem like a greatest hits set from Sondheim, and unlike his more famous musicals there aren’t any songs which feel delightfully unique. Also an issue is that the band are a little too loud at points, making it hard to make out what’s actually being sung.

There are some interesting ideas at play, and every so often the show touches upon a theory as to why a character feels that they have no choice but to act in such a terrible manner. Yet due to the nature of this musical’s structure the individuals concerned come across as broad caricatures, and though it’s not necessarily always bad, there’s very little here of any real value.

Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: John Weidman
Director: Dan Edge
Musical Director: Matt Gould
Production Designer: Adrian Jeakins
Choreographer: Emma Bowker
Producer: Pippa Kyle

Assassins is at the Bridewell Theatre until Saturday 27 September.