Chichester Festival Theatre – until 24 June 2023
Reviewed by Lorna Hancock
5*****
Thirteen people have attempted to assassinate the US President, four succeeded. This gripping comedy musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman leads us on a journey through American history featuring nine of the assassins.
To be completely honest, I had no idea what to expect with this show, but it certainly didn’t disappoint. We were drawn into the fantasy as soon as we entered the building, we walked through and took our seats in a buzzing American convention. However the show rapidly took a very dark twist. The way the show is set is surprisingly effective taking a modern ‘CNN’ news slant at looking at historic events, and the direction switched between the two flawlessly. Whilst reflecting on the idea that the assassins were all linked by influencing each other, and following an alternative ‘American Dream’ to be part of history.
I studied American history at GCSE (quite some time ago now) and looking at these events through the assassins viewpoint was extremely thought-provoking and a very interesting take.
As I have come to expect with productions at the festival theatre the ingenuity of the staging was extremely powerful. It would be hard not to be completely submerged in the action. The effects used during assassinations and executions were subtle but very effective in creating illusions without being offensive.
The portrayal of all of the assassins were marvellously done. To mention a few, Danny Mac played a believable yet strangely likeable John Wilkes Booth, that actually left me feeling sorry for him for a moment. Harry Hepple’s Charles Guiteau had a wonderful likeness to Ron Moody’s Fagin as a lighthearted, lovable rogue. Sam Oladeinde touched everyones hearts with a very compelling representation of Leon Czolgosz and Amy Booth-Steel was absolutely hilarious as Sara Jane Moore. All of the cast had very strong vocals, with some beautiful harmonies throughout effectively choreographed musical numbers.
It is difficult to explain the magical effect this performance had on it’s audience. Everyone appeared to be completely mesmerised by such an interesting perspective on American History, through the eyes of the assassins.