Assassins
Review
Murder by numbers is a mixed bag
It is hard to know what to make of Assassins.
First performed in the UK 10 years ago, it tells the varied tales of the assorted weirdos who have tried to – and in a few cases, succeeded in – assassinating the President of the United States of America.
At times it force-feeds you with gritty social commentary from these misfits – ranging from immigrant manual workers to housewives – whose grumbles on life led to them to try to kill the ‘Pres’. At other points it becomes almost like a pantomime, reminding you of that dreadful Kathleen Turner film from a few years ago, Serial Mom. This fondness for random flitting between almost Dickensian-style gloom – it can take itself far too seriously with some pointlessly mournful parts – and childish, filthy humour, certainly makes for a mixed bag of an evening. By the end, these competing messages more or less gel into a coherent whole – or you can at least start to work out what the characters were going on about earlier on.
But there’s an awful lot of nonsense to get through before you arrive there. High points include Jeanette Broad’s hilarious portrayal of five times married Sara Jane Moore, who in 1975 tried to kill President Gerald Ford. Low points include a fair amount of the singing – something of a problem in a musical. Some voices, such of those of balladeer Chris Wilkins and Natalie Caswell, who plays Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Frome, stand out from the rest, clear and tuneful.
There are some others though who can barely be heard above the band, and the actors would have been far better off sticking to speaking roles. During a show that lasts close to two hours but doesn’t have an interval, there are gunshots aplenty – so those with sensitive ears should stay away. Others could do a lot worse than to go along and try to enjoy this inconsistent but at times very entertaining show by HumDrum AmDram At the very least you will get a few crude laughs out of it.
Daniel Bardsley - The News - 17th July 2002
