Seacoast Rep Presents Stephen Sondheim's ASSASSINS

The Seacoast Repertory Theater takes a provocative yet entertaining look at American culture in Stephen Sondheim's Assassins, a musical revue based on the lives of U.S. history's notorious presidential assailants.

Assassins, which opens November 7 at the Seacoast Rep, is less well known than other Sondheim works the Rep has staged, such as Sweeney Todd or Into the Woods. But at a time of volatile anxiety in American politics and society, it also offers a revealing insight into a cultural thread that extends far beyond the gallery of characters depicted in the play.

"It's a really beautiful piece of musical theater," said director Dan Beaulieu. "It simply puts before us the hard truths that this has happened not once but time and time again. This is part of who we are as a country."

Assassins depicts presidential assailants from President Abraham Lincoln's killer John Wilkes Booth through Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme and Sarah Jane Moore, who each separately sought to kill President Gerald Ford.

From the opening scene in a fairground shooting gallery, to which they return throughout the musical amid their acts of indnividual notoriety, the assassins interact as an ensemble of misfits, set in Limbo. They share frustrations over love, politics, or the elusive "American dream." Their individual motivations are portrayed in songs reflective of the periods in which they lived.

"It's a sonic journey," Beaulieu said. "Rather than shifting set pieces, and establishing 'this is 1901,' we hear it in the sound and the way the people speak."

The cast includes all three of this year's resident artists at the Seacoast Rep - Andrea Lyons, Alyssa Dumas, Jason Faria, who were selected in a move to revive the idea of a resident theater company at the Rep's roots. Dumas and Faria also collaborated to choreograph the show. The set is meant to evokes a Coney Island fun house atmosphere, while stopping short of depicting the characters as freak show oddities. New resident artist Kevin Mahaney also joins the fray.

Assassins debuted Off-Broadway in 1990. A Broadway production was planned for 2001, but delayed until 2004, with the topic considered too sensitive in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The play does not ask the audience to sympathize with the assassins, or judge them, but rather to consider what they reflect about the culture at large, said Beaulieu, a University of New Hampshire graduate. "It's not about the acts, but it's about the people who did the act, Beaulieu said. "They are united by a horrific choice they chose to make. These people existed and they are part of our cultural identity."

"There is great levity and hope in it, despite the fact that it is a clinical examination of horrific acts."

Sondheim himself has addressed questions about the potentially inflammatory subject matter, and maintained that it intended as entertainment. "There are always people who think that certain subjects are not right for musicals ... We're not going to apologize for dealing with such a volatile subject. Nowadays, virtually everything goes," he told a newspaper.

The play pays homage to theater history, and its role of putting up a mirror to nature. Beyond John Wilkes Booth's history as major Shakespearean actor of his time, Assassins quotes both Shakespeare and Arthur Miller.

Above all, the play is entertaining, said Beaulieu, who is also artistic director of the 7 Stages Shakespeare Company in Portsmouth. He tried to keep the atmosphere light during necessarily intense rehearsals by, for example, one day asking each cast member to tell a joke before getting down to practice.

"It's still a musical; it still is really fun. The music is so beautiful and there are dances that are really fun and funky. This cast is very entertaining. I've gotten goose bumps in rehearsal," Beaulieu said

"I hope people get catharsis out of it. I think the audience will walk away with a tune to whistle or hum on the way home."

Assassins runs November 7-16. Show times are Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets are available through the Seacoast Rep box office at 603-433-4472, or online at www.seacoastrep.org/tickets. For student discounts, call the box office. The Seacoast Repertory Theatre's 2019 season is sponsored in part by Bondgarden Farms, Martingale Wharf, MacEdge, the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel and Key Heating and Air Conditioning.

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit theatre committed to providing a variety of programming for the community. The Rep presents professional programming through its Mainstage, alternative programming through its Red Light Series and also offers a variety of programs for youth and seniors.

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