BWW Reviews: ASSASSINS is Enjoyable, Mesmerizing, and Thought-Provoking

As many gear up for Halloween, Music Box Musicals' inaugural production is striking a different nerve-a political nerve. With a wonderful production of John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim's thought-provoking musical ASSASSINS, Music Box Musicals invites audiences to listen. Not only to the tales they present on stage, but in our lives outside of the theatre as well.

ASSASSINS originally opened Off-Broadway in 1990. Roundabout Theatre Company scheduled the Broadway premiere of the show in 2001, but the show's dark content in combination with the events of September 11^th necessitated a need to postpone the show. It eventually opened at Studio 54 in 2004. Now, with fantastic direction and an amazingly talented, locally famous cast, ASSASSINS returns to Houston, TX in the height of this politically charged season. The musical presents historical information in a non-linear way, unnerving the audience by humanizing would-be and successful presidential assassins. Their heinous deeds are not overlooked, nor is the audience expected to sympathize with the assassins. Instead, the show allows the audience to collectively look into their lives, understand their psyche, and feel empathy for Americans who are chasing their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Direction by Michael J. Ross and Kristina Sullivan is magnificently affecting. Under their skilled reins, the cast delivers a show that works from beginning to end. Highlighting the thematic element of listening, staging for "Another National Anthem" reels an already engaged audience deeper into the musical by changing their role from audience to active participant in the production. Likewise, the emotional epicenter of the show, "Something Just Broke," easily induces tears and a flood of memories of a grieving, broken nation in the wake of major tragedies. However, this number is only powerful because of how well the show is presented and played leading up to that moment. Music Box Musicals' production of ASSASSINS is a masterful, moving elegiac examination of what an unchecked sense of entitlement does to our understanding of our basic human rights and the idealized American dream.

Likewise, Musical Direction by Michael J. Ross is impeccable. The score utilizes Americana and period music to emphasize the differing time periods of each assassin, which Michael J. Ross purposefully allows the audience to realize and experience. Then, in numbers such as "Gun Song," he has deftly rehearsed the cast to deliver haunting, perfectly blended harmonies that impress while entertaining.

As Carnival Music permeates the air, Adam Delka as the Proprietor slinks into the performance space. If the title of the show and opening riffs of music haven't already unsettled them, Adam Delka's delivery of "Everybody's Got the Right" is sure to set the audience to unease. Cleverly, Stephen Sondheim's score and lyrics have discomforted the audience from the opening of the show, effectively opening their ears and making them listen. To ensure this delivery, Adam Delka expertly plays into the motif throughout the entirety of the production and giving his portrayal a dark alley, sideshow vibe. As he continues to be an omniscient and omnipresent figure throughout the production, he is reminiscent of characters like The Phantom of the Opera; however, this score and book never add a lush, romantic frill to his darkness. Therefore, Adam Delka's Proprietor pristinely keeps the audience engaged in the show through his keen ability to distress them.

Brad Scarborough's John Wilkes Booth perfectly characterizes himself as "vainglorious." In his vanity and pride lurks a truly sinister undercurrent, which fuels Brad Scarborough's adroit portrayal. Listening to his rich and skillful vocals, Brad Scarborough effortlessly slithers into audience's heart and charms them as the venomous John Wilkes Booth. Simply put, the audience easily gets lost in his well-tuned and splendid performance. Then, in the tense and tumultuous scene before "Something Just Broke," his villainy reaches extreme heights and showcases how fragile each human is. It also exposes just how easy it is for feeble and emotionally distraught people to be persuaded into actions that they normally would never consider, which is a chilling and frightening discovery that is made on stage and in the audiences' minds at the same time.

Like Neil Patrick Harris before him, Michael J. Ross adds a great amount of strength to the show as the Balladeer. Yet, even as an avid fan of Neil Patrick Harris, I find Michael J. Ross' smooth tenor vocals to be better suited to the character than Neil Patrick Harris' tinny performance on the 2004 cast recording. The smooth and delicate qualities of Michael J. Ross' voice adds a nice layer of subtly to the character, allowing his chiding and biting characteristics to still be in your face while the lyrics resonate in your mind. Michael J. Ross' character also undergoes a tangible arc in the performance, making him consummately relatable to the audience in a way that the collected ensemble of assassins is not. This ultimately causes wonderfully disorienting emotional conflict within the viewer during the climatic moments of the show.

John Gremillion's Samuel Byck is an emotional powerhouse. Each monologue he delivers is a fantastic tour de force of perfectly honed and trained talent. His monologues are memorable, oddly endearing, and completely believable. Even though it's not set to music, the "Have It Your Way" monologue from late in the show is definitely one of the highlights of the performance because it really invites the audience in to understand the psychological dilemma and cognitive distress that leads these men and women to unapologetically commit atrocities.

As Sara Jane Moore, Rebekah Dahl is delightfully humorous. She employees her skilled comedic timing to lighten the mood and earn well deserved laughs. Vocally, like her fellow cast members, she is extremely talented and captivating.

Braden Hunt, playing Charles Guiteau, is fantastically deluded and self-serving. He shines on "The Ballad of Guiteau," effortlessly jumping back and forth from beautiful, gospel inspired vocals to the energetic song and dance routines of the Vaudevillian era of live performance.

Cay Taylor and Eric Ferguson superbly portray Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme and John Hinckley respectively. Their rendition of "Unworthy of Your Love" is tender and humanizing. More over, the performances of Leon Czolgosz by Luke Wrobel and Giuseppe Zangara by Eric Edward Schell are emotionally driven and convincing as well.

The ensemble, comprised of Stephanie Bradow-Hunt, Marco Camacho, John Dunn, Duncan Lambert, Kristina Sullivan, and Elizabeth Tinder, perform their various roles across multiple time periods with practiced poise and sincere emotional clarity. In numbers like "How I Saved Roosevelt," the audience will question who is worse, the almost assassin or the megalomaniacal crowd that is just so happy to say "I was there," while in "Something Just Broke" they simply move the audience to tears.

Due to the small performance space, projections designed by Marco Camacho are skillfully used throughout the entire show to convey locale. The projections blend well with the well-executed lighting design and never detract from the production in any way. Also, the projections are adroitly used to manipulate audience emotions in some scenes.

Sound effects, designed by John Gremillion and Thomas Schanding, are well employed and delivered at the perfect volume. Moreover, the sound design of the show expertly blends the live band, vocals, and sound effects to ensure that all are heard at the appropriate volume at all times during the performance.

Libby Evans has provided spectacular and immaculate costume design for the production. Tasked with appropriately costuming characters in period clothing from the middle to late 1880s all the way through to the early 1980s had to be a daunting and thankless task; yet, she has expertly delivered a fantastic panoply of fully realized period pieces that also serve to better characterize the cast.

The attention to minute details ensures that every element of this complex and compelling musical works. ASSASSINS, as presented by Music Box Musicals, is nothing short of a beautifully executed display of sensational Houston talent at its finest. Each scene is well acted and each number well sung, creating an enjoyable, mesmerizing, and intellectual evening of theatre.

ASSASSINS runs until November 11, 2012 at The Music Box Theatre. For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.themusicboxtheater.com/ or call (713) 522 – 7722.

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