Assassins

Assassins is a dark, twisted fantasy of a musical.  In which characters from across history, those who have attempted to or succeeded in killing a president,  come together in a purgatory style theme park overseen by a Proprietor and his chimeric carnival groupies.  With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Wiedman the show is full of haunting songs, comically macabre scenes and maybe something we can all relate to, even though we’d prefer not to admit it. 

This is UMMTA’s (The Univeristy of Melbourne Music Theatre Association) latest offering.  It is directed by Tyson Legg and mostly it works quite well.  The real strength of this production is in its cast which fall into two categories really, the assassins themselves and the proprietor/ensemble folk.  The assassins were a strong, tight group whose focus, determination and fixation on their goals made them a menacing presence on the stage.  In fact the highlights of the show were often moments with the whole cast, not necessarily doing anything spectacular but imposing their figures onto the action, reminding the audience that they’re there.  Particular stand out moments included the two monologues from Samuel Byck (Patrick Considine) whose deranged reasoning, malice and characterisation was engaging, humorous and ultimately quite threatening.  The two female assassins Squeaky (Laura Raiti) and Sarah Jane Moore (Louisa Tascone) had great on stage chemistry and while they sometimes felt slightly caricatured they were always charming and full of energy.  The remaining assassins John Wilkes Booth (Matt Crookson), Leon Czolgosz (Joe Coghlan), John Hinckley (Jenter Zilm), Guiseppe Zangara (Anthony Cardamone), Charles Guiteau (David Miles) and ultimately Lee Harvey Oswald (Drew Collet) all did an excellent job at realising some of the most infamous people in (American) history.   

The other part of the cast led by Luke Morrison as the Proprietor, was the ensemble.  While they began as (and frequently returned to be) henchmen they also took on multiple roles in various situations; such as, witnesses to FDR’s attempted assassination, mourners recollecting where they were when JFK was shot and other odd characters here and there.  The stand-out in this group was Sara Jane Calsiña who proved that even with limited lines and no named character any cast member can command attention; other members of the ensemble were Gabriel Brown, Kat Elliot, Nicola Guzzardi, Spencer Hadlow and Tristan Laurence.  Posibly the most disappointing in this section was Morrison as the Proprietor who, while having an amazing voice, never really captured the role of a malevolent catalyst of action.  His movement and character, which seemed to draw upon ideas like the Emcee from Cabaret, or Chucky from Night of the Living Dead, was never quite believable and diminished the effect of the ensemble as a whole. 

In the end, the cast was tight and though sometimes they seemed hesitant or unsure of themselves they simply needed to commit to every action they had; when they did commit, the effect was fantastic.

Where the show lacked its punch was in some of the other production values.  The lighting was sometimes awkward and did not run smoothly from scene to scene, or during scenes.  The use of spots was effective for some of the smaller scenes but ultimately the lighting seemed rough.  Similarly, some props and costumes I felt took away from the menace of the show.  For example, upon arrival at the carnival, the assassins were presented with water pistols.  I presume they were supposed to be like show ground pistols, but the cheap plastic and bright colours looked out of place, especially when the assassins brought them out to play with later in the show.  The ensemble costumes looked a little bit clean and kitsch.  They utilised the stars and stripes motif which seemed a little over the top and while they had tears on them they looked far too clean.  The assassins had much more fitting costumes, special mentions to Booth’s period garb, Byck’s santa outfit and Squeaky’s hippy clothes.  Stand-out make-up, done by Sara Tabith Catchpole, mentions go to the ensemble’s faces including a scaly, shiny, starry face, a black and white clown and a gold painted mask. 

The musical direction from Louis Sharpe was solid.  There had clearly been a lot of work done on the group numbers and harmonies were well executed.  When the full cast sung there was an overwhelming feeling in the intimate theatre that these guys mean business.  Still, the band and their work with the cast felt a little hesitant, though I am sure that this will disappear the more comfortable the cast and band begin to feel with one another. The choreographer, Lauri Uldrikis has done a wonderful job with the few moments of dance in the show, particularly in The Ballad of Guiteau and the Opening, although further credit music be given for the stylised movement and general characterisation throughout.  

Overall Legg has done a fine job at bringing this bold show to life.  While there were certain elements that didn’t quite work or pieces of the production which didn’t quite fit in, the artistic vision and strength of the cast ensured that the show was a success and that the audience enjoyed the 90 minute spectacle without ever once looking at their watches.  Moreover, it was this dedication to the theme that allowed a show, about America, to be understood by a removed audience who probably couldn’t name half the presidents mentioned before going into the theatre.  If you’re looking for an energetic piece of theatre that challenges your perception of what a musical should be (but not enough to make you uncomfortable) then get along and see UMMTA’s Assassins which runs until Saturday 15.      

Photo's thanks to Sara Tabitha Catchpole