#yea i’m back from hiatus to talk about assassins and i think it’s perfectly on brand | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

agentmattsimmons · 2 years

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my thoughts on assassins at the classic stage company!! (or: a “review” of assassins by someone who just really, really loves assassins)

- first things first. this cast. so insanely perfectly cast i literally cannot get over it. everyone embodied their characters so well. it’s like these characters were written for them, and i fully believe this production is the best way to view assassins!! (also: this production is the best way to run it (masks, actors/musicians, the ending projection, the whole nine yards. it was something the musical was missing and made it that much better))

- some notable mentions (edit: this is really just bordering on the entire cast but they’re THAT GOOD!!!!!)

- ethan slater: WOW. just wow. his balladeer is one to remember and his transition into oswald is straight up unforgettable. he was so raw and powerful. there was pain in his movements as he took off the jumpsuit and handed it over to the balladeer. his hesitation and reluctance to do so. the way he looks down at it in his hands, the proprietor reaching for it. i was completely enamored the his performance. special mention for his complete enjoyment when watching the others!!!! you could make a show out of ethan slater’s love and admiration for his costars alone

- brandon uranowitz: maybe i am biased because czolgosz is my favorite but he went above and beyond for this role. he was so perfectly angry and it was something you could sympathize with. the bottle scene Broke Me. his ability to portray emotions, especially those ugly, angry, self-loathing emotions we don’t like to feel, is on another level. and then you could practically feel every thought, every potential hesitation, in his mind as he waited in line. his tears when speaking to emma goldberg had me in tears man. there are no amount of good words to say just how amazing brandon uranowitz was as leon czolgosz. simply none.

- tavi. gevinson. i found myself OBSESSED with her performance the entire time. she’s so convincing as a young girl in (delusional) love. everything about her was him and she sold it so well. her relationship with sarah jane moore was funny, i loved the way they worked off of each other and with each other despite their characters being complete opposites. not to mention her VOICE!!!!! i am absolutely in love w her portrayal of lynette fromme

- eddie cooper and bianca horn but especially at the end. eddie cooper was such an amazing proprietor and i loved everything about him, but what hit me was his performance at the end, after jfk dies. he’s not the proprietor anymore, he’s part of the audience. he is us, watching the president die. he brings the folded american flag down the stage, almost crying. i wasn’t sure if he did but it’s there in his face, his wobbling lip and pained eyes. i don’t think i can ever get that image out of my head. bianca horn at the end too. she cried and i cried and it was so beautiful and heartbreaking. she is a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with, both vocally and acting-wise. she carries herself with such poise and grace. i couldn’t get enough of her performance, no matter who she was portraying.

- i don’t think i will ever get tired of steven pasquale as john wilkes booth!! he’s so perfect for this role and executed it so well, yet again. he was able to have fun with it but still understand the complexity of his character and his impact not only to the other assassins, but the audience as well. i will only accept productions of assassins with steven pasquale as booth from now on thank you.

- alright i got carried away. back to the actual notes

- something i really loved about the balladeer was how his guitar acted as protection. every time he comes to counter the assassins, he picks up his guitar. this is especially prevalent in when the assassins and the proprietor begin surrounding him (literally and figuratively). he lets his guitar fall but picks it right back up to frantically tell them that they’re wrong, that america can be a place where everyone succeeds. what seemed like the final push in this scene was the proprietor taking his guitar away. he does so with a smirk, while the balladeer reaches for it back. and then, we get lee harvey oswald. this scene was so well done and the guitar symbolism just.. chefs kiss. truly.

- I Love The Actors/Musicians. Oh Man. it was so amazing to watch their incorporation into the cast as both musicians and ensemble members. also their ranges??? they all play multiple instruments throughout the show AND act AND sing. and their voicesssssssss!!!! they’re so talented and managed to capture my attention just as much as the assassins.

- Mask. Choreography. i did not expect it !! but it works so well with the show and i never want to see a production without the masks tbh!! it was yet another reminder that this is now. we are living through what others will see as history, much like the events depicted in the show. now, it’s history. but it wasn’t then- it was real and now.

- i love the stage?? i’ve seen a few reviews that critique it for being too small and not allowing for much staging but i think the cast works so well with what they have and manage to use up the entire stage. the balladeer spends a good amount of time on the steps to the stage/the edge of the stage and the characters frequently run off into the audience so they utilize the ENTIRE space. the cast was so good at making sure each section of the audience felt included (especially ethan!! i know i keep raving about his performance but i couldn’t stop thinking about how good he was at ensuring everyone in the audience was part of the show)

- i really loved how the balladeer was on stage for the majority, if not all, of the show. even when he’s not singing! he was just chilling at different corners of the stage or in the back. i found it so fun to be watching the show just to look over and see ethan slater enjoying it as much as i was

- The Projections. Hello?? Oh My God??? i’ve always loved how the show used the projector (i am a Big Fan of the jfk assassination scene in the bway revival when the zapruder film is projected onto oswald’s shirt) and this production took it to another level. each president is shown with their respective assassin when they’re all introduced, and then again when the assassins shoot them with a target overlaid onto their image. i do miss the t-shirt zapruder film but honestly? this felt just as powerful. instead of oswald becoming his actions, we get to see him watch it. react to it. absorb what he’s done. he stands in front of the projection in shock? misery? fear? pride? all of it. and it’s so amazing.

- projections 2.0 because it deserves its own bullet point: The Ending Projection. during everybody’s got the right (reprise), a picture of the jan 6 capitol riot is projected behind the assassins. as they sing about getting national attention by doing something no one thinks of, we see an image of rioters storming the capitol, waving trump 2020/4 flags. it’s such a shocking yet grounding parallel in the best and worst way. it’s (another) painful reminder that this isn’t history: this is now. these things aren’t to be forgotten with the rest of history because they continue to happen today.

- lastly a special note for guiteau and zangara because they were my moms favorite! she didn’t know the story before and genuinely believed zangara had a stomachache until it was talked about because wesley taylor is just That Good. guiteau was also one of my favorites because he was incredibly hilarious, the definition of unforgettable performance. there was a moment where he was at the end of the stage, right in front of me, looking down. i can’t remember the exact scene right now but as he was talking about his gun, his hand (holding the gun) twitched and he quite literally instilled the fear of god into me because i really thought he was going to point the gun straight at me. it was terrifying and thrilling and amazing all at once

- all in all: i would do anything to see this show again. id pay any amount for a recorded version honestly. the casts voices work so beautifully well together it’s a crime they don’t all work together for everything and anything else. they all bounce off of each other like no other!!! (especially ethan slater and stephen pasquale, those booth and balladeer scenes were Fantastic)

#THANK YOU FOR READING IF YOU DID!! mwah love u #yea i’m back from hiatus to talk about assassins and i think it’s perfectly on brand #somehow i am even more in love with this musical now #im sure i will have many more (more coherent) thoughts once ive fully absorbed my experience but i have little to no critiques !!#again maybe i am biased because it is my all time favorite musical but this production was done So. Well. thank you John Doyle x1million #anyways. please talk to me about assassins #assassins the musical #sondheim #broadway

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