Saw ASSASSINS last night ...

[broadway1564]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 11:55am

Hey Kids,

So I got out of work, again, early on Friday and I made it down to Times Square to check out what was on the boards. I want so bad to see RAISIN IN THE SUN, but they had completely sold out of house and student seats. Ugh! I still really want to see THE BOY FROM OZ … So, since they don’t sell BFO student tickets on weekend days, I went over to ASSASSINS to see what they had. They had 3 seats, only, left in the house at the very back of the theatre. I took one. It was $26.25.

Walked around the city for “a while” and then went to the theatre at around 7:30. I was really taken by the inside of the theatre. I’ve seen the Studio 54 movie quite a few times and it was hard to grasp that I was sitting in the very balcony where people use to have orgies and do drugs 24/7. It was kind of surreal.

The show starts … I was immediately taken by the beautiful lighting. This couple has really outdone themselves. But I soon found that the music was mostly forgettable and that, overall, all the songs were extremely long. AND, there are few numbers … none that are really SHOWSTOPPING, I would say. I enjoyed them, but didn’t leave the theatre humming anything … except maybe the finale.

For future reference, the far back Mezzanine is not the place to sit if you want to hear really well. When Marc Kudisch started singing, I thought he was either unmiked or his mike pack was screwed up. Marc did a stellar job and I really was surprised he didn’t make the TONY cut. I thought he did well. But a lot of the other actors were wasted, or their characters were a bit too much “by the book” and thin. I could hardly grasp James Barbour’s character as I was straining to understand what he was saying. I thought he was one of the weaker performers … his voice was a bit too deep for this theatre.

Denis O’Hare did a wonderful job. I have never seen him on stage before and I thought he was quite enjoyable. Does he always have a lisp or was it just the character? I did like his number, “The Ballad of Guiteau”, which came off somewhat powerful. Jeffrey Kuhn was excellent and Mario Cantone seemed a bit out of place. His awful “joke voice” (as I like to call it) completely took over … now I don’t know Sam Byck, so that may have very well been the way he was.

Mary Catherine Garrison and Becky Ann Baker were excellent actresses. Especially LOVED Bake who, I think, made the VERY VERY most of her comedic talent in this piece. BUT, both Garrison had a very difficult time with “Unworthy of Your Love”, one of my very favorite songs. Gemignani also had a bit of trouble with his music. His character was a bit thin, as well.

Michael Cerveris did nice work last night. I would call him performance TONY AWARD WINNING … I think Raul did better work in TABOO. But his performance was serviceable and he has a really nice voice … loved the accent, also. I think if his performance lacked anything, it was due only to the way John Weidman wrote the character. Some of the scenes, I thought, were a bit cheesy. The, in not so many words, “Yes, I killed Lincoln and you should kill Kennedy because it will make people remember me.” I get the gist of what the Assassins wanted Oswald to do … but thought the book was a bit week. Of course, REALLY thought Cantone’s part of the show kept going on and on and on. I tended to doze.

Neil Patrick Harris did nice work last night. His voice has grown much richer and he has made the most of his somewhat awkward stage presence. Of course, as Lee Harvey Oswald, he doesn’t have much to work with. He just kind of stand there and listens to the other actors lecture him and he in turn says, “No I won’t do it.” Not Shakespeare, by any means. I thought he did a very nice job as the Balladeer. His voice was very rich and he sang through it well.

Overall, I wouldn’t want to see ASSASSINS again, but I’m glad I saw it. I mean, it was WAY WAY better than WONDERFUL TOWN. There was not competition. I fell asleep in WT. I love seeing something I have never seen before and just enjoying the story unfold for me. I really did like that. I didn’t really know any of the music, either … so I was kind of just an unaffected outsider enjoying this somewhat old chestnut bloom into a startling new art piece. Again, love the sets, some of the actors, the lighting and the entire staging. Joe Mantello earned his award very well, indeed.

My score is a B+ for ASSASSINS. Definitely worth seeing, but don’t break your back trying to get to Studio 54.

Hoping to see CAROLINE, OR CHANGE & THE BOY FROM OZ next week. Anyone see CorC? Let me know what you thought! Updated On: 6/13/04 at 11:55 AM

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 12:25pm

I saw Assassins for the second time Thursday night, and I reacted to it, once again more positively than broadway1564 did. Maybe it is due, in part, to my already knowing and loving the score. I thought that the performances were more balanced this week than when I'd seen it during previews. On my first visit, Cerveris dominated the show, and O'Hare was still struggling a bit with his role...he totally missed an entrance, pitch-wise, in The Ballad of Guiteau. O'Hare's performance on Thursday was much more polished, and they had solved the problem of that entrance for him by holding out the final note of the preceding song, giving him a frame of reference to find his note. O'Hare is easily as much of a stage presence now, as Cerveris; maybe more. The two female leads are a little weak vocally, but their grasp of the characters they portray is so on-the- money, that I wouldn't think to suggest changing them.

I sat it the balcony both times I've been there. The view is perfect from up there, but as the previous poster remarked, it can be a little hard to distinguish the dialogue. I always assume that's due to a hearing deficit on my part, so I get those embarassing little amplifiers from the coat-check people, and "poof", the problem is gone. If you are going to opt for the cost-conscious seats, I encourage you to think about borrowing a pair.

All that being said, this is the first show in a while where I am already thinking about how I can justify another visit...before I've even left the theater. And I'm still singing the songs, two days later.

I guess it all comes down to a matter of personal taste. I wouldn't fault anyone for not embracing is as I have...it just seems to work for me.

[rock00]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 1:50pm

I agree with iflit. I saw the show Thursday night as well, sitting in row F (which are the best seat benches I've ever sat on). I've loved the score since I first heard the OC Recording, but I was in awe. Literally had my mouth gaping for the first few minutes. Cerveris gives a must see performance and Denis O'Hare is great in every bit he has to do. James Barbour, well, what can you say. The guy's a spot on actor with a killer voice. It's a shame Czolgosz doesn't sing more. The women were excellent and very funny, I really liked Alexander Gemignani's Hinkley and Harris was very good as well, though Oswald does suffer from not too much to do. Loved the way they handled the JFK Assassination. And Marc Kudish is just absolutely solid. It's always a treat when you see "secondary" characters as well thought out as these were.

So, I say DO break your back to see this show. It's absolutely worth it.

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 2:08pm

Raul Esparza is not in it. Jeffrey Kuhn plays Giuseppe Zangara. Raul was SUPPOSED to play Zangara, but he stayed with TABOO, which ended up screwing him over (runwise). As for the score, I AM PART OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO LOOVEE IT. what is wrong with it? truly. hm. yesss, lighting is amazing.
-d.b.j-

[WhatDoINeedWithLove?]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 2:14pm

I am dying to see it! I LOVE the score! And I think especially "Unworthy of Your Love" is such a beautiful song. Ive only seen it once and it was a mediocre college production and I still loved it!

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 2:19pm

Was Raul supposed to have played Zangara?? I would have pictured him as Guiteau.

Posted: 6/12/04 at 2:29pm

OK folks put me in the shooting gallery....

ASSASSINS on Broadway is at a good college level production, as I best see it.

Yes, it's at the bottom of my Sondheim list (and I'm fond of Sondheim) but I have no fondness for the score--hell, I just don't like it or the subject matter. The production is nothing special in my opinion. I kept nodding off several times during the first act. None of the performers were in any way magnetic on stage. Yes Cerveris can be mezmerizing as he demonstrated in PASSION at the Kennedy Center but JWBooth is not one of those roles. Besides finding it difficult to stay awake I found it difficult to identify one performer over the other in this show.

ASSASSINS pales by comparison as a stage work if compared to CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, which I thought I would dislike thoroughly and find torture to sit through. The opposite became the reality. After seeing both I quickly concluded that George C. Wolff was far more deserving of the musical directing TONY over Mantello.

If you know the album of ASSASSINS there's nothing on stage to make the experience any different, in my opinion. I paid full ticket prices to sit in the Mezzanine, if anyone feels they need to know that.

Ready, Aim, SHOOT!

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 2:43pm

I experienced it differently, and never had any trouble keeping the characters straight. But who's to say. Truth be told, I like Assassins significantly more than, say, Into the Woods, but I'm not prepared to dispute anyone else's reaction. I think this is one of those quirky shows that will work for some of us, and for others, not so much...

[broadway1564]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 3:09pm

The beauty of opinions ... I agree that my opinions were just personal preference.

I am in no way the end all, be all, of theatre. Also, I have to admit that my view of a show is almost completely dominated by how I am feeling on that day.

I saw MILLIE a few weeks back, it being one of my most feel good shows, and I hated it. I don't understand ... but I was also extremely tired.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 7:29pm

I saw Assassins two weeks ago. I have always loved the score and have worn out a couple cassette tapes of the OC album (now I have the CD). I found this production quite enjoyable and it seemed to bring out more of the sarcastic humor in the lyrics.
I will have to agree that I was disappointed in O'Hare's performace. He didn't seem a strong enough singer to carry the conviction of his character.
All in all I will definitely be seeing this show again.
As a foot note: If Raul did leave Taboo to do this, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy him so much in The Normal Heart (3 times!)

[broadway1564]

Posted: 6/12/04 at 11:21pm

I'm not sure if NuggetMonkeys was referring to my post when saying that about Raul in Taboo ... When referring Cerveris, I meant that I would have preferred to see Raul get the Tony over him.

[mallardo]

Posted: 6/13/04 at 11:12am

I'm glad someone mentioned James Barbour who was wonderful as Czolgosz, by far the most sympathetic of the assassins. His little scene with the underused Anne Nathan was one of my favorite moments in the show.

[Benzy92]

Posted: 6/13/04 at 12:50pm

I also loved Mary Catherine Garrison a lot even though Unworthy of Your Love was a little weak. She is a great talent, and if she COULD sing, she would have made a great Glinda.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 6/13/04 at 2:19pm

Garrison's voice isn't awful...just a little weak. I thought they could have compensated by turning up the volume on her so she wasn't overpowered by the Hinkley character. But her portrayal of Squeaky Fromme is so perfect that I am (uncharacteristically) unconcerned by her merely adequate singing.

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 6/13/04 at 7:15pm

Strongest overall cast I have ever seen on Broadway. Hands down.
The OC of Producers is close.
Now let's see how John Schiappa fits in for Kudisch...

[broadway1564]

Posted: 6/13/04 at 7:43pm

Strongest is stretching it quite thin ... but that's you're opinion and I respect that.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 6/13/04 at 8:34pm

I've seen Assassins three times so far, but I owned the script and the CD for years before that so I was really excited for it to open.

I think the score to the show is excellent. Its haunting at parts, and yet it gives you moments where you stop thinking of these people as cold blooded murderers (I know, shopkeepers and adulterers are murdered, when a president gets killed he is assassinated) and start to see them as people. There's an incredibly human aspect to the whole thing while at the same time the balladeer manages to give you just enough distance from the action that you can keep in mind what you're listening to people sing about.

I'm glad people liked James Barbour because he stands out for me every time I see it!