Shows · Assassins (2004 Revival)
Assassins (2004 Revival)
Opened 2004
101 performances
Revival, Modern
A carnival barker invites a motley collection of presidential assassins and would-be assassins — from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald — to step right up and take their shot. Through vaudeville, folk, and pop musical styles, each assassin reveals the twisted version of the American Dream that drove them to violence, questioning whether the promise of happiness is itself a dangerous lie.
- Music
- Stephen Sondheim
- Lyrics
- Stephen Sondheim
- Book
- John Weidman
Productions2 on Broadway
Recordings 5 recordings
Licensing 1 entry
| US | Music Theatre International Assassins matched on title alone: a lead, not a confirmed licensor |
Assassins is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by John Weidman, based on an original concept by Charles Gilbert Jr. Using the framing device of an all-American, yet sinister, carnival game, the semi-revue portrays a group of historical figures who attempted (successfully or not) to assassinate Presidents of the United States, and explores what their presence in American history says about the ideals of their country. The score is written to reflect both popular music of the various depicted eras and a broader tradition of "patriotic" American music. The musical opened Off-Broadway in 1990 to many mixed and negative reviews, and ran for 73 performances; in 2004, t…
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