FOUR STARS
THROUGHOUT history
there have been many people who have tried to kill some of America's
long list of presidents - some successfully.
And a musical featuring
nine of them - including three who succeeded - is now on at the
Menier Chocolate Factory.
Assassins, with music
and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is a funny and inventive show and
although it doesn't set out to condone their actions, does aim to
give some kind of back story to those who wanted to kill a president.
Jamie Lloyd's
production is a joy, set in what looks like a dilapidated fairground,
and features a star-studded cast that includes Jamie Parker, Mike
McShane and Catherine Tate.
At 100 minutes with no
interval it strides along at a brisk pace with a series of short
scenes knitted together brilliantly.
We see each character -
from some familiar names including John Wilkes Booth who shot
President Lincoln and John Hinkley who tried to kill President Reagan
to the less well known of Leon Czolgosz who shot dead President
McKinley.
Each of them is given a
chance to tell their story - either for personal glory or to bring
down a political regime - and when they do take aim, the action stops
momentarily before the shot rings out, bells chime out and a Hit or
Miss sign is illuminated at either end of the thrust stage.
There are fine
performances from the entire cast, particularly Andy Nyman as Charles
Guiteau and Simon Lipkin as the Proprietor who encourages the nine to
take aim.
Catherine Tate is hilarious as trigger happy Sarah Jane Moore, giggling as she continually fires her gun in mistake and Jamie Parker is brilliant as the balladeer who, right at the
end of the show, is eventually unmasked as Lee Harvey Oswald and
cajoled into taking a pot shot at President Kennedy.
Assassins is on at the
Menier Chocolate Factory, Southwark Street funtil March 7. Tickets
from £30. Visit ww.menierchocolatefactory.com or call the box office
on 020 7378 1713.
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