“All killer no filler. This excellent student production of Sondheim’s savage stars and stripes extravaganza remains faithful to its source material whilst the talent keeps it fresh”
To paraphrase the great American character Dr Doofenschmirtz from Phineas and Ferb: if I had a nickel for every time I had seen a musical this week in which political figures’ deaths are represented by balloons popping I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.
On a hot summer’s 4th July at the Royal Academy of Music, nine assassins walk into a carnival fairground and tell the story of why they tried, successfully or otherwise, to kill their respective American presidents. One of Stephen Sondheim’s lesser produced works, it weaves its tale via the All-American themed Proprietor (played by Oliver Garnon) and the Balladeer (played by Jelani Munroe). Here they act as sort of co-MCs, with the Balladeer also doubling up as Lee Harvey Oswald for the finale. This is a creative decision lifted from the 2004 Broadway revival and appears to be the norm for modern versions of the show. We meet each of the assassins on their own terms chronologically throughout history as they explore in their own words why they did what they did.
It is in my opinion one of Sondheim’s most interesting works. Dealing with themes of democracy, freedom, fame, mental health, there is an overarching theme of community and family. We are shown how certain assassins are outcasts, be they immigrants or fantasists for example. The driving force of Sondheim’s astute lyrics explores broken childhoods, obsessive erotomania and anarchic impulsions. Presented as a carnivalesque purgatory, the assassins appear doomed to never find peace; never know what it means to be understood. They seem to be convinced that Harvey Oswald’s murder of JFK will afford them all the notoriety they need to attain the American dream.
Andrew Exeter’s exquisitely simple set has the entire backdrop be a curved curtain rail of thick neon red plastic strips, giving the effect of a massive abattoir. An astonishing visual emerges during the song Another National Anthem just as JFK is finally assassinated. The entire curtain rod lowers with a red light strip across the rail, slowly revealing the seminal Zapruder footage of JFK’s brains exploding in his car. At this moment red, white and blue balloons and confetti drop all over the stage as the assassins celebrate their new found release. The overall effect makes for breathtaking theatre.
Though the cast is amateur, their portrayals are sensational. Highlights include Pippa Lane as Sara-Jane Moore and Alysse Whaley as Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme as they scramble to assassinate Gerald Ford. Their scenes were full of humour, pathos and an authenticity to their characters that wasn’t necessarily always present with others. For example accents proved challenging to master for our young cast. Czolgosz’ Polish accent (played by Joe Patridge) and Zangara’s Italian accent (played by Rayhan Lee) were poor and inconsistent, making it difficult to connect to them.
Musically, as is to be expected of the RAM, the orchestra is super, with such layered musical themes a key component of Sondheim’s works. I noticed key elements of aural Americana with use of the banjo and harmonica throughout. Musical Director Ben Kubiak deftly leads his orchestra with energy, complimenting Charlie Smith’s sound design.
Ultimately, this is a hard hitting musical, chock full of adult themes and a darker tone than anything you’ll see on the main stages this Summer. Politically relevant without being preachy, whenever this gets revived you should definitely make a point to seek it out, Sondheim fan or not.