**** My hat goes off to Theo Ubique! When they announced their season of Sondheim, I was quite excited and then I read the list to see which shows they would feature. I saw their first was going to be “Assassins”, which in my opinion may be the toughest of the works of the genius, Steven Sondheim. This is a musical that has a book by John Weidman that was based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. A story about those who assassinated or attempted to assassinate United States Presidents. It is a strong work and if you listen very closely you can hear a lot of tunes that are familiar from “Into The Woods” and others. We all know that there are many combinations of notes and that many creators of music often re-use those from past musicals. But with the cleverness of Sondheim, and the mixture of words he uses, you may not even recognize them. I love his work and they are embedded in my mind, so I hear them.Those who know the “cabaret” theater in Evanston know that it is limited in size and is somewhat surrounded by the audience. This particular production has caused the bar to be unusable during the performance. It is part of the stage area. In the center of the room is a table with stairs leading up to it, making it into a stage in the center of the arena. Director Daryl D. Brooks has assembled a cast of talented young people with voices that fill the room and his redesign of the theater with limited sets (Bek Lambrecht) works. FYI- We sat at Table 4 and those seats were perfect.
For those who are unfamiliar with the story, it begins at a fair where many people stop to purchase guns. The first song is done by The Proprietor (Liz Bollar, who also does other ensemble roles) as we learn who the characters are and their intended.
We start with the Lincoln Assassination by John Wilkes Booth ( the powerful Neala Barron) and we just keep moving along, ending with all of the Assassins ganging up on Lee Harvey Oswald ( Patrick O’Keefe) to do the right thing. O’Keefe is also the Balladeer, a sort of storyteller that takes us from one story to another. He is a bright talent that has made his mark in Chicago and with this one, will do even more.
The other Assassins are as follows: Newcomer Nick Arceo (Charles Guiteau) shows his true talent in his number ” The Ballad of Guiteau” with The Balladeer), Jon Parker Jackson ( a brilliant portrayal of Sam Byck), Will Koski ( sheer perfection as John Hinkly Jr.), Mack Spotts (Leon Czolgosz), Laura Sportiello (Sara Jane Moore), Amanda Rodriguez (Sara Jane Moore), Josh Pablo Szabo (a perfect Giuseppe Zangara) and the ensemble members who fill in all the missing parts, Brittney Brown, Tyler Deloatch, Simon Keiser, Evan Morales and the aforementioned Liz Bollar. They pulled it off and in this particular production, they have eliminated the intermission. Yes, it is two hours, but the intermission breaks up the story and causes the audience to lose track of what is happening. Thank you for doing it right!
The music is handled by three musicians who bring Sondheim to life in just the right manner. The sound (Matthew R. Chase) is just right for the room and the lighting (Denise Karczewski) keeps it all in focus. The guns were a unique assortment ( Credit Rick Gilbert) although I think the rifle at the end might have been off a little. The props (Isa Noe) and costumes (Marquecia Jordan) all added some special touches that made this intimate production work.
This is not an easy topic which to do a musical about, but Sondheim and Weideman found a way to do so. Theo showed me that they are not afraid to attempt anything and then proved they could with this production of “Assassins”.
“Assassins” will continue thru – Dec 17th with performances as follows:
Thursdays 7:30pm Except Thanksgiving
Fridays 7:30pm
Saturdays 7:30pm
Sundays 6:00pm
Theo Ubique is located at 721 West Howard Street, Evanston
Parking: watch the meters as Howard Street (south) is Chicago, North is Evanston with different rules
Show Type: Musical
Box Office: 773-939-4101
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Assassins”.
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