'Assassins' Brings to Life John Wilkes Booth Among Others

John Wilkes Booth, Guiseppe Zangara and Charles Guiteau. These are the names from history textbooks—men who tried to assassinate American presidents. They are also the subjects of a new Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club production that will open at the Oberon on Friday, Dec. 5th.

“Assassins” is a Stephen Sondheim musical that puts the men who attempted to kill American presidents in conversation with one another and questions whether these people are truly the madmen history makes them out to be. The show violates boundaries of time and space to understand just who these assassins were and why they were driven to such extreme actions.

“It’s not like any musical [you] have seen or will see again,” Olivia R. Miller ’16, who plays Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, says.

“Assassins” must straddle the line between accuracy in the depiction of historical figures and creative license to make the most entertaining show. During the early stages of production, actors were asked not to do any research about the characters they were playing. “Because the show doesn’t take history as the law, we decided not to either,” director Joey R. Longstreet ’16 says.

This production of “Assassins” is particularly unique given the space in which it will be performed. “The audience [is] sitting in the middle of all the action, so they really become a part of the storytelling,” Miller says, describing the Oberon. Such an unconventional space that puts audiences literally inside the show is well matched  to a production already defying traditions of musical theater.

In an age of political polarization and widespread dissatisfaction with the American government, “Assassins” also has relevance outside the theater. “[The show is] about these skewed perspectives on what the ‘American dream’ really is and if there is an ‘American dream’ at all,” Eli K. Rivas ’16, who plays Samuel Byck, says.

It’s easy to characterize assassins as villains whose actions are a result of evil or mental illness. Longstreet notes that in “Assassins,” this isn’t always the case. “In America any kid can grow up to be president, but then also any kid can grow up to be his killer.”