Birdland Theatre/Talk Is Free Theatre – Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins

reviewed by Paula Citron
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Assassins
Birdland Theatre/Talk Is Free Theatre
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by John Weidman
Directed by Adam Brazier
Starring Graham Abbey, Jay Davis, Kate Hewlett, Martin Julien, Trish Lindstrom, Paul McQuillan, Mike Ross, Steve Ross, Eliza-Jane Scott, Christopher Stanton, and Geoffrey Tyler
At the Theatre Centre until Feb. 20
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Birdland Theatre is the company that brought The Last Days of Judas Iscariot to the city, and is currently presenting an outstanding production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Assassins.

The premise of Assassins is not pretty. The character roster contains all the infamous people, successful or not, who tried to kill American presidents. Sondheim and book writer John Weidman have presented an insidious and sly look at the why of it, which becomes a searing indictment of the American Dream.

The large cast, which includes some of the best actors in the country, is superb. Adam Brazier has directed with both flare and sensitivity, and Beth Kates’ set and props show how imagination can work on a limited budget. Erika Connor’s costumes evoke period, while Gareth Crew’s lighting gilds the lily.

Listeners, I’m on my knees, begging you to see this show. It is theatre at its best – controversial, provocative, disturbing, and yes, entertaining.

Assassins continues at the Theatre Centre until Feb. 20.