5th Avenue Theatre & ACT's ASSASSINS Begins Today

The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT- A Contemporary Theatre are kicking off the presidential election with a bang, presenting the landmark musical ASSASSINS with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Wiedman. The production begins today, February 27 and will run through May 8, 2016.

Directed by ACT Artistic Director John Langs, this 6th co-production takes place in the shooting gallery of a tawdry carnival where audiences find themselves in the company of some of the most notorious figures in American history-the assassins who tried (and in some cases succeeded) to kill the president. Together, John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, John Hinckley and others reveal the stories of their troubled lives and deadly deeds in this provocative show created by one of the undisputed masters of musical theater. Audiences will thrill in the surreal exploration of an assassin's motivations and emerge questioning what lengths they are willing to go to achieve the American Dream. Winner of both Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Revival of a Musical in 2004, this powerful work is by turns comical, dark and haunting.

ASSASSINS features a killer cast including: Kjherstine Andersen as Emma Goldman, Nathan Brockett as the Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald, John Coons as Guiseppe Zangara, Nick DeSantis as the Proprietor, Rich Gray as Charles Guiteau, Laura Griffith as Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, Frederick Hagreen as John Hinckley, Louis Hobson as John Wilkes Booth, Kendra Kassebaum as Sara Jane Moore, Brandon O'Neill as Leon Czolgosz and Matt Wolfe as Samuel Byck.

Previews: Saturday, February 27 - Wednesday, March 2, 2016. Opening Night: Thursday, March 3, 2016 (press night). Closing Performance: Sunday, May 8, 2016. Times: Tuesdays & Wednesdays - 7:30 PM; Thursdays & Fridays - 8:00 PM; Saturdays - 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM; and Sundays - 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM. All performances take place at ACT- A Contemporary Theatre in the Falls Theatre (700 Union Street, Seattle).

For single tickets (starting at $15 for students and $49 for regular audiences) and information, visit www.5thavenue.org or call the Box Office at (206) 625-1900. Tickets may also be purchased at the ACT Box Office at (206) 292-7676 or visit www.acttheatre.org.