ASSASSINS to be Presented by The Ringwald Theatre in February

The Ringwald Theatre will present a new production of the late Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's musical masterpiece Assassins.

A multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical tour-de-force, Assassins combines Sondheim's signature blend of intelligently stunning lyrics and beautiful music with a panoramic story of our nation's culture of celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it, embodied by America's four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. Bold, original, disturbing, and alarmingly funny, Assassins is perhaps the most controversial musical ever written.

Assassins explores the dark side of the American experience. Incorporating John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley and others, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, interact, and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.

"Promises made, promises broken: That does seem to be the whole point of this politically piercing and tragically funny musical. We promise the world to our gullible kind, and recoil in horror when some among us take that word as gospel - and feel so aggrieved that they become violent when they fail to win the "prize" that was promised at the sharpshooter booth of this carnival country." -Variety

Assassins is directed by Matthew James Wallace and features Joe Bailey, John DeMerell, Phoenix Eldridge, Leah Fox, Kyle Johnson, Vince Kelley, Marcus Laban, Jeffrey McMahon, Allison Megroet, Hannah Niece, Brandy Joe Plambeck, Rashna "Rashi" Sarwar, Dave Schoen, Liz Schultz, and Joey Urreta. Music direction is by Diane Hill; stage management is by Alisa Vandercruyssen. The rest of the team includes: Asia Hicks handling property and set design; lighting design by Eric Niece; costume design by Vince Kelley.

Assassins will run from February 24th through March 20th. Tickets are $30 for performances Fridays-Sundays and $20 for Monday performances. Tickets are currently available at theRingwald.com. This year the Ringwald will be going cashless but credit cards will be accepted at the door. Performances on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays are at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM. The Ringwald is located inside of Affirmations Community Center at 290 W. 9 Mile Road in downtown Ferndale, Michigan.

The Ringwald opened 16 years ago on May 11, 2007 with Fatal Attraction: A Greek Tragedy and became a mainstay of Detroit's theatre community. Past highlights include Misery, Who's Holiday, Puffs, Head Over Heels, The Rocky Horror Show, Heathers The Musical, Mr. Burns: a post-electric play, Angels in America, Into the Woods, August: Osage County, Mercury Fur, The Bad Seed, and Evil Dead: The Musical. The Ringwald was named 2009, 2012 and 2013 Best Theatrical Troupe by Real Detroit and Best Place to See Local Theatre in 2010, 2011 and 2012 by readers of Metro Times.

Assassins CAST & CREW

Joe Bailey Samuel Byck

John DeMerell Charles Guiteau

Phoenix Eldridge John Hinckley

Leah Fox Sara Jane Moore

Kyle Johnson Giuseppe Zangara

Vince Kelley John Wilkes Booth (3/3 - 3/20)

Marcus Laban John Wilkes Booth (2/24 - 2/27)

Jeffrey McMahon Lee Harvey Oswald and others

Allison Megroet Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme

Hannah Niece Emma Goldman and others

Brandy Joe Plambeck Leon Czolgosz

Rashna "Rashi" Sarwar The Balladeer

Dave Schoen The Proprietor

Liz Schultz Ensemble

Joey Urreta Ensemble

Director Matthew James Wallace

Music Director Diane Hill

Stage Manager Alisa Vandercruyssen

Set and Props Design Asia Hicks

Costume Design Vince Kelley

Lighting Design Eric Niece

Photo credit: Brandy Joe Plambeck

To post a comment, you must register and login.