Assassins

All Saints Musical Productions open a new avenue as they venture down a very favourable route of presenting the more intimate musical. I sincerely hope this project was testing the water with a view / hope to continue with such offerings as not only does this open up the scope of titles for this innovative company to present it also allows for and pushes creativity to a new level.

One question which did spring to mind; after performing at such a prestigious venue, would staging a production at a social club attract the same calibre of performers as the shows they stage at the Lowry? – well, I needn’t have worried about that as indeed it did, if not better in this case!

‘Assassins’ was the show of choice, following on from their hugely successful ‘Sweeney Todd’ a couple of years ago, the committee have chosen to look at another of Sondheim’s murderous shows. This production delves into the dark side of the American dream by bringing together a bunch of murderers, or would-be murderers, in the context of a fairground shooting gallery.

As the title would suggest, it’s a political plot which has a strong point of view: that the rooted American belief in everyone’s entitlement to happiness, success and social justice leads to a malevolent, and sometimes murderous, sense of grievance amongst the unfulfilled. But the brilliance of the show lies in the irony by which Sondheim’s music seduces us as the story tells its own grim truths.

Musical Director Steven Mercer returns to the bench and although he’s stripped back the orchestration to just three musicians (himself included) it didn’t feel or sound as though anything was missing from the pit / band stand. This show is heavily reliant on the music, more so than in most musicals and the choice to strip back the orchestration so dramatically proved a wise choice to suit the intimate setting while also bringing music to the treasurers ear no doubt.

Neil Coe had been selected to direct the piece and a good job he did of it, the fluidity of the show was excellent and seamless with the menacing, slightly spooky ambiance translating with chilling results.

Gunshots coming from the crew desk broke the barrier slightly as being so close to the action it was obvious that the sound wasn’t coming from the prop gun which also created a slight delayed response from the shooter whenever their gun was fired.

The cast was a line-up of the societies stalwarts along with some players on loan and some new faces to the company too, one thing that cannot be denied was how accurate the casting choices were which certainly proves how successful hand picking your cast can be.

Visually, the show was staged simply with a movable truck and six cubes to create the various settings with the audience sat on three sides, an enormous flag of the USA was suspending above us for the duration of the production and the stars and stripes also cropped up as various props throughout the show.

With how this musical has been structured it naturally gives the impression of being a revue complete with a master of ceremonies in the form of The Proprietor played by the very sinister Dave Hurst.

Leaving firm and memorable impressions were Ian Bennett as John Wilkes Booth who excelled, particularly in the final scene as he influences the assassination of JF Kennedy.

Caroline Hickey offered welcome light relief as Sara Jane Moore, one of the most interesting assassins for me making us question whether this person is / was for real, it’s almost easier to believe that her story is fiction. Sam Byck was wonderfully portrayed by Jon Crebbin with his engaging and potent monologues. Charles Guiteau, the crazed lecturer / preacher was brought to life by an energetic John Wood offering a momentous final moment as he is hung for his crime.

We all remember where we were when we heard the news of Princess Diana’s death, 9/11 and all too recently when Paris was terrorised, ‘Something Just Broke’ struck a chord and reminded me of such tragedies which still impact on us today.

This was indeed a terrific production with a stellar cast. Many congratulations.

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