Classic Stage Company's ASSASSINS Begins Performances Next Week

Classic Stage Company presents John Doyle's highly anticipated staging of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins November 2, 2021, through January 8, 2022. The production officially opens on November 14. For a complete performance schedule, please visit classicstage.org.

A year and a half after its planned debut, CSC will present its much-anticipated production of Assassins. A journey through the dark side of the American dream, Sondheim and Weidman's Tony-winning musical Assassins explores the lives of nine men and women who either killed (or tried to kill) one of the Presidents of the United States. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald and beyond, the stories of our country's most successful and would-be Assassins intersect in unexpected ways, creating a powerful, yet unnervingly funny look at some of the most shocking moments in U.S. history.

Doyle's star-studded production features what Jesse Green of The New York Times before the shutdown called "a luxury cast from top to bottom," including Adam Chanler-Berat (Peter and the Starcatcher, Next to Normal), as John Hinckley, Jr; Eddie Cooper (The Cradle Will Rock, This Ain't No Disco), as The Proprietor; Tavi Gevinson (Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth and Ivo van Hove's production of The Crucible), as Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme; Tony nominee Andy Grotelueschen (Tootsie, Tumacho), as Samuel Byck; four-time Tony nominee Judy Kuhn (Fiddler on the Roof, Fun Home), as Sara Jane Moore; Steven Pasquale (The Bridges of Madison County, American Son), as John Wilkes Booth; Tony nominee Ethan Slater (SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, "Fosse/Verdon") as Lee Harvey Oswald/The Balladeer; Tony nominee Will Swenson (Hair, Waitress), as Charles Guiteau; Wesley Taylor (SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, The Addams Family), as Giuseppe Zangara; and three-time Tony nominee Brandon Uranowitz (Burn This, Falsettos), as Leon Czolgosz; and Brad Giovanine (The Great Comet, The Awesome 80s Prom), Bianca Horn (The Color Purple, The Play That Goes Wrong), Whit K. Lee (Evergreen, "Law & Order: SVU"), Rob Morrison (Frankenstein, Avenue Q), and Katrina Yaukey (The Great Comet, Cabaret) as members of the ensemble.

The creative team includes John Doyle (Direction/Set Design), Ann Hould-Ward (Costume Design), Jane Cox and Tess James (Lighting Design), Matt Stine (Sound Design), Steve Channon (Projection Design), Charles G. LaPointe (Wig Design), Greg Jarrett (Music Supervisor / Orchestrations), Telsey + Company (Casting), Bernita Robinson (Production Stage Manager), and Hollace Jeffords (Assistant Stage Manager).

The production arrives with excitement further bolstered by CSC's April 2021 virtual benefit Tell the Story: Celebrating Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's 'Assassins,' for which Doyle gathered Sondheim and Weidman; artists from the original Off-Broadway company, the Broadway revival, and the upcoming CSC production. The Los Angeles Times called the event "a vibrant recorded benefit" that served both as "a salute to the musical and to the scrappy brilliance of theater artists, whose survival is being tested like never before." Also during the pandemic, Weidman and members of Doyle's cast participated in stirring public conversations with him-and, in some cases, sang-as part of CSC's signature Classic Conversations series.

CSC recently announced that Doyle will step down from his position as Artistic Director of the company in Fall 2022. In addition to Assassins, his final year will include Marcus Gardley's black odyssey, directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, and Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's Snow in Midsummer, directed by Zi Alikhan, and will conclude with Doyle's staging of A Man of No Importance, by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Terrence McNally. CSC will announce dates for these productions soon.

Assassins completes the trilogy of Sondheim/Weidman musicals Doyle has directed. He staged their other two collaborations-Pacific Overtures, at CSC in 2017, and Road Show, at The Public Theater in 2008 and London's Menier Chocolate Factory in 2011-to wide acclaim.

To ensure a safe reopening, all audience members must be vaccinated against Covid-19. Audiences will be asked to present proof of vaccination at the entrance to the theater, and must wear a mask at all times while in the theater and lobby areas. Further health and safety information will be released closer to opening.

In addition, CSC reaffirms its commitment to advanced access to the theater for all and is continuing its steps towards being an anti-racist organization. CSC has been working with consultants at Operations, Inc. on a renewed commitment to inclusivity, equity, and diversity in all areas of the company, onstage and off. Further details on this work will be released soon.