Viaduct Theater's Assassins Has Terrific Aim
By Melody Udell in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 19, 2012 9:05PM
Talent isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when most of us reflect on our country’s presidential assassins. But that’s exactly what you’ll find at the Viaduct Theater’s bawdy, wholly entertaining take on one of Stephen Sondheim’s most controversial musicals. The standout cast of Assassins doesn’t have a weak spot among them, helping elevate the show’s non linear, sometimes muddled plotline that hones in on a ragtag group of now-infamous killers — and their skewed notions of the American dream.
As each assassin presents his or her dubious justifications for their appalling acts in song, Director Billy Pacholski’s intimate show helps us understand some of the feelings and anguish behind their deeds — some of which we’re pretty familiar with ourselves. But he veers carefully from empathy, never asking the audience to understand them, but instead to learn more about them. In fact, Pacholski and his team spent a year compiling their own research on the history and personalities in the production — an impressive feat for any show.
Starting with the story behind Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Kevin Webb’s John Wilkes Booth is a commanding idealist looking to avenge the ills of the nation — and who sets the stage for upcoming political murders. The Balladeer (Sam Button-Harrison) does a fine job helping the non history buffs (like me) piece together the stories of Booth and the rest of the assassins, from Aram Monisoff’s brooding Leon Czolgosz, the Polish-American who murdered William McKinely, to Samuel Byck (Nicholas Druzbanski), the goofy, would-be Nixon-assassin in a dirty Santa suit. In one of the show’s funniest scenes, Libby Lane, playing a hilariously bumbling, gun-toting mother of three, fumbles her way unsuccessfully through a Gerald Ford assassination alongside her flower-child sidekick played by Kiley Moore. It’s these individual scenes — dark comedy at its best — that are true highlights in the show. And lucky for us, there are many of them.
A show like Assassins works best in a smaller space, without the intimacy that’s lost in a more cavernous theater. In less deft hands, the use of a projection screen can serve as a distraction, but Frank Mares makes smart work of the unimposing screen, providing just the right amount of accompanying visuals.
Assassins takes us to a dark place filled with satire and bitter comedy — and a welcome distraction from the absurdity of election season. And to this entertaining show and its strikingly talented cast, attention must indeed be paid.
Through November 10, Viaduct Theater, 3111 N. Western Ave., $30-$100, 312-212-3470 or online.