For the first time in their 16-year history, Out of the Box Theatre Company is re-mounting a show from their production history. First produced by Out of the Box in 2011, Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins is the blood splatter of anarchy on the White House Wall. The show follows the exploits of nine people who have tried (and some who succeeded!) to kill the U.S. President. Notably, while not all of these historical characters were born in the U.S.A., all nine were American citizens.
Out of the Box Artistic Director Samantha Eve, who is directing (again), notes that while certain elements are similar to the previous production, the show feels very fresh due to a new cast and 15 years of growth and experience since the first rendition. “When we did this back in 2011, we leaned heavily into the comical elements,” says Eve. “Those moments are still there … but we have a much deeper understanding and awareness of what’s happening underneath those moments, and the uncomfortable questions at the musical’s core: Who gets remembered? Who gets heard? What happens when the promise of the American Dream feels out of reach? Assassins feels uncomfortably contemporary because it isn’t really about history — it’s about how people respond when they feel unseen, unheard, or left behind by their government, which is very much a current problem.”
Assassins is a juggernaut of the Broadway form, made up of interconnected vignettes that feature a variety of musical styles and emotional moods playing against the disquiet and joviality of an American-style carnival. Eve notes that, “Sondheim’s writing led the way as musical theater shifted from simple spectacle and happy endings to stories that dig deeper into the human experience.”
In this vein, the show does have content warnings for language, mental illness, gun violence, and racism, and it is recommended for ages 13+.
See the show from April 10-19 at Center Stage Theater. See centerstagetheater.org/show-details/stephen-sondheims-assassins.
