SHON M. STACY STAGES STUNNING ASSASSINS AT THE GENERIC THEATER

Theater Babe Says:  Don’t Miss It!!
 

The basic premise of the show is weird:  nine of the people who killed (or tried to) U. S. Presidents interact with each other irrespective of the time/space continuum and sing and bicker and sing.  But due to the expert direction of Shon M. Stacy, in the Generic’s production of Assassins we quickly grasp the concept and, much more importantly, just accept it because we so immediately become enmeshed in and mesmerized by the uniformly strong performances of this outstanding ensemble cast.

The plot is a collage of vignettes during which the assassins show us the motivations behind the acts for which they are remembered.  The scenes are linked through the actions and commentary of two fictional characters known only as The Proprietor and The Balladeer, and the tale is told through a mixture of monologues, dialogues and a Sondheim score showcasing musical styles of each era in which each assassin lived.

The characters first meet at a fairground and the shooting booth motif to which we are introduced in the opening scene is used throughout to depict the gunshots, target-practice style.  Mr. Stacy’s scenic design creates a theatre in the almost round, with the audience lining the stage on three sides.  Colorful draping hangs from the ceiling and evokes the sense that the audience has entered an old-time circus tent.  The upstage fourth side is filled by a long, wide screen onto which different images and historical footage are projected.  Unabashedly bright red, white and blue Americana set decorations surrounding the screen provide a sharp contrast to the dark dysfunction of the stories depicted before them.  Black boxes are the only furnishings, and they are moved about in various configurations to suggest different settings, leaving ample room for Mr. Stacy’s clever and creative blocking.  The Generic is an intimate space anyway, but the deliberate placement of the audience so close to the stage edges, combined with the spare set pieces and the liberal use of the aisles for the actors’ entrances and exits add to the feeling that we are part of the drama as it unfolds.

It is said that a director’s most critical task is casting the right actor for the right role.  Here, Mr. Stacy validates that truism by assembling a cast of exceptional talent where each performer, regardless of the amount of her stage time, is a unique and distinct individual.  Every member of the cast possesses a strong, rich vocal quality and under the superb music direction of Karla D. Robinson, the cast's collective diction is crystal-clear as they crush the complexities of the score and embrace its gorgeous melodic dissonance.  This is Sondheim as it is meant to be sung.

Nowhere is that vocal dexterity better displayed than in “The Gun Song,” a piece that begins as a solo by Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of President William McKinley, morphs into a duet with John Wilkes Booth (played by Anthony Falcon), becomes a trio with Charles J. Guiteau (Steven Meeks) and expands to a quartet with Sara Jane Moore (Toni Zito).  As Czolgosz, Charles Adam Robinson’s soulful, deep and profoundly beautiful tones captivate us from the first note and lure us into listening intently to his perspective.  As each subsequent singer joins the refrain, harmonies blend and intersect with such lush precision that we find ourselves almost persuaded that murdering someone is a justifiable means to “change the world.”

The incredible vocals in this show are apparent from the start.  Although The Proprietor is traditionally played by a male actor, Mr. Stacy wisely chose Alyssa Sortino for the role.  Ms. Sortino not only has an amazing set of pipes, but her stage presence is sexy and tantalizing which brings a new dimension to the part.  The Proprietor suggests to the assassins that their various discontents can be solved if they “c’mon and shoot a President;” the role is the sinister counterpart to The Balladeer who is himself the manifestation of faith in the American Dream.  In this production, Zack Kattwinkel’s Balladeer is tall, slender, blonde, dressed in a light-colored cowboy-ish outfit, and he appears to be the epitome of the stereotypical boy-next-door.  His energy is engaging and optimistic, diametrically opposed to Ms. Sortino’s no-less-powerful drive depicted as a dark, curvy dominatrix clad in a black bustier and thigh-high boots.  The contrast is stark and effective, and is perhaps most notable at the end of “Another National Anthem” when the assassins’ fury, encouraged in this staging by The Proprietor, reaches a fever pitch and Mr. Kattwinkel is forced offstage while Ms. Sortino gloats and skips off, still conducting the cacophony with maniacal glee.

As The Balladeer, Mr. Kattwinkel is the voice of reason and it is in part due to the strength of his performance that this production as a whole works so well.  The assassins’ characters are so well-crafted that a lesser actor’s portrayal of the role could be sidelined by their compelling, if twisted, quirks and charisma.  Because Mr. Kattwinkel is so appealing and forceful in a completely different way, we believe him when he explains early in the performance that despite the assassins’ momentary victories, it “hurts a while, but soon the country’s back where it belongs,” and that confidence offsets what could become a morass of hopelessness and despair.  Mr. Kattwinkel’s versatile singing style is shown to advantage here, from the lyrical “Ballad of Booth” to the bouncy patter of “The Ballad of Czolgosz.”

Ed Palmer's Lee Harvey Oswald is a believable cretin, with petulant delusions that are skewed to motivate him to assassinate President Kennedy.  As Giuseppe Zangara, Rafael Henriquez is credibly bitter, but his delivery of “How I Saved Roosevelt” makes the character's rationale behind making FDR the target of his murderous inclinations seem logical and even humorous – until the moment when his sudden intensity hits us with the force of a sledgehammer, and we are uneasy that we were laughing only seconds earlier.  A more subtle, but equally effective moment occurs when Zangara’s stomach pains are finally cured. 

Having wholeheartedly enjoyed Nathan Jacques’ turn as the winsome, likeable Lucas Beineke in The Addams Family a while back, the Theater Babe was astounded by his transformation into John Hinckley, Jr.  Mr. Jacques’ portrayal of the would-be assassin of Ronald Reagan bears a distinct resemblance to a less-lovable Lurch – and adds a disturbing, angry strangeness that leaves no doubt that he would plot to kill a president to prove his devotion to a movie star.  Vocally, he is well-matched with Alexandra Shephard’s Squeaky Fromme, and their duet, “Unworthy of Your Love,” is a highlight in a show that is full of memorable moments.

Ms. Shephard’s depiction of the Charles Manson supporter who tried to shoot President Ford is eminently convincing, mixing a stalwart messianic zeal with a patently sincere, if peculiar, romantic glow.  The construct of the show places Squeaky Fromme in several scenes with Sara Jane Moore, another wannabe Ford assassin, and the comedic chemistry between Ms. Shephard and Ms. Zito is as delightful as it is unexpected.  After all, anyone unfamiliar with a show called Assassins does not expect to find anything funny about a bunch of murderers.  But these women are hilarious, especially but not only in the scene leading to their confrontation with the president.  Ms. Zito is wonderfully and side-splittingly clumsy without crossing that fine line into slapstick.  As hysterical as she is, there’s a pleasing naturalness to her chaos . . . we believe that she’s just a hot mess.

No less funny but in a very dissimilar way is Steven Meeks’ portrayal of Charles J. Guiteau, the preacher turned author and self-acclaimed statesman who assassinated 19^th century President Garfield.  Mr. Meeks’ interpretation gives his character a lightness, a buoyant joy and eccentric sweetness, and such a genuine likeability that in our enjoyment of his scenes we almost forget Guiteau is a complete and utter nut.  Mr. Meeks’ singing voice is robust and clear, well-suited to the hymn-style, “The Ballad of Guiteau,” and his crisp execution of the choreography adds to the incongruence of the assassin’s attitude toward his incipient demise.

Garney Johnson delivers a remarkable performance as Samuel Byck, a man who announced his grievances (and, later, his intention of killing President Nixon) in a series of cassette tapes which he sent to various celebrities.  No song defines Byck’s motivations.  His character is instead revealed in two scene-length monologues and Mr. Johnson masters the awesome challenge of humanizing Byck while he is alone on an otherwise silent stage.  We understand he is an actor reciting lines that he has rehearsed countless times before, but Mr. Johnson is so true to the moment that we are swept away into Byck’s drunken ramblings and we believe that his bipolar-esque mood swings emerge on the spot, rather than resulting from any calculation.  Mr. Johnson’s black comedy is among the most compelling of the entire show.

Actors with comparatively less stage time deliver no less accomplished performances.  As “Housewife,” Shawna Lawhorn is the cornerstone of the moving “Something Just Broke” commemorating the nation’s reaction to JFK’s assassination, and her rendition is both poignant and real.  Darden Dickerson as the anarchist Emma Goldman uses her mellifluous voice to excellent effect in her single scene.  And Lucas Hallauer makes the most of his brief appearance as Sara Jane Moore’s bratty son without succumbing to the temptation to milk the moment.  He is perfectly awful.

But of all the many noteworthy performances it was the Theater Babe’s pleasure to experience, it is Anthony Falcon’s riveting portrayal of John Wilkes Booth that is the standout in this production.  From the minute he stalks onstage during the opening number, he demands our attention and we are captivated by him.  In an instant, Mr. Falcon’s powerful performance conveys Booth’s political defiance at the Ford’s Theater followed by his desperation to counter the media hype that condemned him and to explain not only the perceived deficiencies in Lincoln’s presidency, but the effect those deficiencies had on his beloved South.  During “The Ballad of Booth,” Mr. Falcon’s emotional and resounding vocals are an impeccable match for Sondheim’s juxtaposition of dulcet and soaring melodies – and the sheer beauty of the sound seduces us and makes us reevaluate what we thought we knew about the vile traitor who killed Abraham Lincoln.  Mr. Kattwinkel’s Balladeer interrupts our musings with a brash refutation of Booth’s self-serving statements, and Mr. Falcon’s reaction is both credible and comical.  It is the first, but by no means only, taste of Mr. Falcon’s skilled portrayal of Booth’s interactions with the other players.  Because in this show, Booth is not merely a historical figure.  He is also a ringleader, encouraging and facilitating his successors in crime.  Mr. Falcon’s Booth has a distinct opinion of each of the other assassins, ranging from his disdain for Sara Jane Moore and Charles J. Guiteau to his calculated mentorship of Lee Harvey Oswald, visible not only in his expressive facial features, but in his posture, and the actor demonstrates commendable restraint in not overplaying a role that could easily become a mere caricature.  We do not like Mr. Falcon’s Booth, but we are dazzled by his brilliance.

Of course, the actors are only part of the performance, and the production team and technical crew are first rate.  Animator Paul Costen’s creative imagery is both entertaining and functional as it moves the plot forward and adds to the emotional import of the moment.  Sound Designer Charles Owrey and Sound Board Operator Tina Finnerty create and execute numerous aural cues which enhance the credibility of the action, each delivered in perfect synchronicity.  The lighting design by Alex Mason simultaneously manages to be theatrical and subtle, and often modifies our mood before we are fully aware of the change.  Costume designer Katelyn Jackson creates such a comprehensive look for each character that we know precisely who they are before the plot introduces them to us.  And the Babe gets tired just thinking about the innumerable cues and other tasks that Stage Manager Suzie Finnerty must enact backstage to maneuver the magic.  Together, the production team and tech crew have conceived and enacted a comprehensive and cohesive vision for this show that is all but invisible to the audience -- and that is no little feat.

Bottom line?   Make the time and buy a ticket for this extraordinary production.

 

Performances run through September 17th, Thursday - Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

at The Generic Theater

215 St. Paul's Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia 23510

Tickets are $18 for adults, with discounts for students, seniors and active duty military, and can be obtained online at http://www.generictheater.org or by calling the box office at (757) 441-2160.

 

 

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