‘Assassins’ explores murder through music

Viterbo began its run of Steven Sondheim and John Weidman's "Assassins" Nov. 13, spurring new thought about America's darker inhabitants. The musical delves directly into the psychology of successful and unsuccessful Presidential assassins throughout the country's history, giving new perspective and insight on their possible motivations.

Not content to go the easy way out and label each assassin as merely crazy or evil, Dana McConnell, director of "Assassins," chose an approach that highlights the different motivations, emotional stabilities, and societal standing that affected each assassin, using the smart, honest dialogue and powerful music provided. Each actor did a fantastic job at giving his/her character shades of grey. 

Goaded on by the Proprietor, played with equal amounts cynicism and cleverness by Jill Iverson, the assassins each live through their motivations for killing a president, followed usually by the attempt itself. The first assassin, the "pioneer" by whom the other assassins follow suite, is John Wilkes Booth, played by William Leonard as an angry, dramatic actor who desperately wants the world to know why his act should be remembered with honor.

His insidious character comes and goes throughout the production, goading on other assassins, culminating in a lengthy speech to Steve Frankenfield's Lee Harvey Oswald on why Oswald's destiny is to kill JFK. Contrasting with Booth's relative calm is Matt Barnett's Samuel Byck, whose failed attempt to fly a plane into Nixon's White House is preceded by his deranged rants on tape to popular figures of the time, at once terrifying in his madness and anger, and tragic in the portrayal of a man left utterly alone, feeling betrayed by both parties in his government and left by the wayside in society. 

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme and Sara Jane Moore, played respectively by Karissa Lade and Chelsea McManimon-Moe, are the unlikely attempted assassins of Gerald Ford. Fromme wanted, on some level, to do an act for her love, Charles Manson, and Moore, had no outlet for the anger and confusion in her life.

John Hinckley's confused obsession is portrayed by John Dobbratz, whose misguided love for Jodie Foster led to his attempt on Reagan's life. Leon Czolgosz and Giuseppe Zanagara, played by Ian Kane and Scott Gibson-Uebele, are both immigrants, whose feelings of utter neglect and abuse by the government and society cause their rebellion, culminating in Czolgosz's successful assassination of President McKinley and Zanagara's attempt on FDR's life.

God enters the picture more prominently with Charles Guiteau, played by Jeremy Day, who assassinated President Garfield for crushing his dreams of being an ambassador, and cited God as his savior on the way to his hanging.

Commenting on, and sometimes laying judgment upon, these assassins is Paul Hibbard's Balladeer. The American people are shown reacting to the attempts and successes of these men and women, conversely proud of their success in stopping a madman and shocked by the death of the representative of the nation.

It's ironic that in their quest for infamy, these assassins are what American society tries most to forget about in our collective past. Through the pain and confusion of their motivations, these assassins managed to bring this pain to the nation, inciting not justice, as they believe they bring, but sadness and destitution.

"Assassins" will continue its run this weekend, with shows on Nov. 19-21 at 7:30 p.m. and the Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available in the FAC box office. November 21 after the show, there will be a discussion with director Dana McConnell and company, psychology professor Deb Murray, and theatre chair Rick Walters.

Note to the audience members: there are multiple simulated gunshots throughout the show.