ASSASSINS to Open at Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center

The Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center presents Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award Winning musical ASSASSINS from September 10 through October 16, 2016

ASSASSINS is both Stephen Sondheim's dark exploration into the minds of the nine men and women who have attempted to assassinate the President of the United States, and his caustic analysis of the promise and failure of the American Dream. Given the current political climate, its themes are as relevant today as when the show was first performed.

Maybe the most controversial Broadway musical ever written, Assassins aims to thrill and rarely misses. The great genius of contemporary musical theater, creator of Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and Company, Stephen Sondheim leads audiences on a tuneful revue of presidential assassins and would-be killers from John Wilkes Booth to John Hinckley. This darkly comic journey takes the form of a carnival game, where the sounds of each era accompany riveting portrayals of history's most impassioned and deranged. Thought-provoking and darkly delightful,ASSASSINS won five Tony Awards in its first revival on Broadway. Now Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center presents a new staging of this theatrical tour de force.

ASSASSINS first opened off Broadway on January 27, 1990 with a run that, while brief, was sold out and two years later it opened in London, running 76 performances and winning critical acclaim. The Broadway revival was scheduled for Fall of 2001, but in light of the sensitive subject matter and the recent event of September 11, the decision was made to postpone the show until 2004. When the show finally premiered on Broadway it won five Tony Awards, including Best Revival, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Orchestration, Best Lighting Design and Best Director. The 2004 production was also noted for the innovative set design.

Welcomed back to the stage is a longtime favorite at SVCAC, Will Shupe, in the role of the proprietor. Shupe recently appeared in Peter and the Starcatcher for Actors' Repertory Theater of Simi at SVCAC. Joining Shupe are Carla Lombardo Bambo, Jackee Bianchi, Michael Chandler, Kevin Ellis, Michael German, Kristine Gilreath, Levi Gotsman, Chris Kerrigan, Noah Kiedaisch, Genevieve Levin, Vincent Perez, Ryan Peterson, Kathleen Silverman and Auro Tosi.

The creative team includes director Fred Helsel, choreographer Becky Castells, music director Gary Poirot, vocal director Mazie Wilson, assistant director and scenic designer Seth Kamenow, lighting designer Lauren Wemischner, and costumer Ken Patton.

Tickets are available online at www.simi-arts.org or by calling the box office at 805-583-7900 or at the box office at 3050 E. Los Angeles Avenue between Noon and 6:00 pm Wednesdays through Saturdays. Tickets are $24 for Adults, $20 for Seniors 60 and above and Students. Due to the mature themes, this production is not recommended for children.

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