Category Archives: Theater

Dangerously ahead of its time, Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Assassins” may have missed its mark when it premiered Off-Broadway in 1990, but finally came into its own with the currently-ill state of the world. At no other time in our history has a musical felt as eerily prescient and indicative of what ails us more than this show right now. That makes it less of a feel-good extravaganza, and more of a deeply-troubling treatise on what motivates the killer of an American President. As brought to glorious life (and death) by the Playhouse Stage Company at the Cohoes Music Hall, this production of “Assassins” hits all of its marks, taking deadly aim at what our society has become, and offering scant solutions other than the hopeful way art can sometimes transform history and ignite some sort of healing.

Directed tautly by Owen Smith, each assassin gets a turn in the spotlight, literally living out on stage the fame and notoriety that may, or may not, have been their purpose all along. In a brilliant stroke of casting, John Wilkes Booth is portrayed by Sam Perwin, whose towering stature is a nifty nemesis to the man whom his character took out in a theater (Abraham Lincoln). So begins a vaudevillian exploration of a series of assassins, or would-be assassins, that grabs the audience by the throat and never lets loose. 

Offering much-needed comic relief are the two women who hatch a plan to kill Gerald Ford. Defying her character’s infamous history, Michelle Oppedisano as Squeaky Fromme is a devious joy, while Brittany Martel as her would-be partner in crime, Sara Jane Moore, even manages to imbue an unfortunate dog incident with uproarious hilarity. Stealing the show with a musical theater emotional breakdown on a par with ‘Rose’s Turn’,  Dan Costello gives an absolutely devastating turn in his climactic number as Charles Guiteau.

Winding his guitar-playing way through the evening, The Balladeer posits questions for each of the assassins. Played by Daniel Jameson, who becomes Lee Harvey Oswald in a chilling, almost sympathetic transformation, it is a grounding and earnest performance in an evening of stellar across-the-board work. 

Sondheim’s music is at times a cross between the patriotic American bands and a circus show, perhaps the greatest embodiment of the current state of politics any writer could conjure, and when it premiered in 1990 perhaps it was too soon for the world to see just how bad it could get. By today’s standards, the musical feels almost tame, but just striking enough to be powerfully compelling. In fact, the many shots of modern-day news madness form the backdrop to the start and finish of the program, lending it an immediate gravitas that belies the gorgeous work in something like ‘Unworthy of Your Love’, which could have almost been an 80’s power ballad  – not at all inappropriate as sung by Marc Christopher’s John Hinckley Jr. and Oppedisano’s Fromme.

Without offering forgiveness or excuses, or even working overtime to make its titular characters too sympathetic, the musical does lend them new voices, soaring voices, that illuminate how each may have been a victim of loneliness, religion, poverty, or simply living in America at any given time. Our ills have caught up with us in the same way this show has caught up to the present moment. This production of “Assassins” is a must-see event for anyone who is discovering the musical for the first time, or revisiting it in the very moment it feels most resonant.

{“Assassins” is running at the Cohoes Music Hall through October 30. Find tickets here.}

The reports from friends who have seen the pre-Broadway Boston tryout of ‘Plaza Suite’ at the Emerson Theatre have been rapturous, which bodes well for our attendance at the first New York preview this Friday. When it was announced that John Benjamin Hickey was directing Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick in a Neil Simon play, my friend Sherri and I debated which to attend – the Boston tryout or the New York premiere. We ultimately decided on New York’s first preview, since it fell on the same day as Skip’s birthday, and would put us right in the proximity of the play’s namesake. (I splurged and reserved a room at the Plaza for the weekend, because if ever there was a time to stay there, this would be it.)

A trip-tych of stories told from the same suite of the Plaza Hotel (Suite 719, I believe), ‘Plaza Suite’ was first performed in the late 1960’s, and this production will inject new life into the work thanks to the trio of creative stars who are bringing this into a very different world. From all indications, they are succeeding, and I haven’t been this excited about a play in a very long time. While Ms. Parker and Mr. Broderick are undoubtedly the big-name draws, the lynchpin may be Mr. Hickey’s directorial prowess. I remember Mr. Hickey from his riveting performance in 1995’s ‘Love! Valour! Compassion!‘ which completely changed my life, and if history is any indication, amazing things can happen when an actor shifts into directing mode.

The source material is intriguing too and anything that Neil Simon has written intrinsically contains both brilliance and humor and a crackling examination of how humans interact. One of the very first shows I’d ever seen on Broadway was his play ‘Lost in Yonkers’, which featured the then relatively-unknown incandescence of Mercedes Ruehl and (eek!) Kevin Spacey. An ensemble piece, the play was as touching as it was hilarious, and it drew me in even as an almost-teenager. More than that, it instilled an early love of theater, even if we didn’t make to Broadway very often to see new shows, and attending it with Suzie and our Moms made going to a show with loved ones a most favorite event. This time I get to do it with Sherri, Skip, and Chris (with whom I’ll be celebrating 25 years of friendship). A theatrical love-fest is surely in the works.

Following her fantastically-life-affirming turn as Dolly Levi in ‘Hello, Dolly!’, Betty Buckley took only the briefest of breaks at her beloved Texas ranch, where horses and sunsets and family offered a much-needed balm for restoration and rebuilding. Not that Ms. Buckley was ever idle. She hatched her plans for concerts and teaching dates almost as soon as she said goodbye to Dolly, and her upcoming stint at Cafe Carlysle (March 10-21) looks to be another jewel in her performing crown. Ever since being bowled over by her portrayal of Norma Desmond in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ I’ve been a fan of Ms. Buckley’s. Her stage work is the stuff of studied genius, and her gloriously extensive catalog of recordings is a road-map of a singer’s journey. Not content to express herself solely through music, her acting prowess (a stunning turn in ‘Split’ recently) was honed by her stage work, as well as numerous appearances on television and film. Taken together, all those talents and skills are put to exquisite use in her live performances.

I had the privilege of attending one of her shows during the release of the ‘Hope’ album and it was just as wondrous as expected. In between some of her upcoming shows, Ms. Buckley will be offering several classes, and it struck me that the mark of a great artist is whether or not they share their knowledge and giftswith the world, allowing others to learn and grow from the choices and paths they have taken. Buckley has been roundly praised for the way she instructs – honoring and challenging her students while respecting the task at hand. In addition to respecting her students, she has always honored her audience. She once explained that instead of putting either artist or audience on a pedestal, she prefers to see them as equals, which opens up an entirely new dialogue. So much of a powerful performance depends on the investment of the viewer, and Buckley has been one of the artists who manages to completely engage the audience, whether it’s by transforming so magnificently into an indelible character like Dolly Levi or Norma Desmond, or by so personally attending to every nuance of a story song in her concert work.

There is an element of respect to Ms. Buckley that has always fascinated me. In a business where so much is based on egomania and self-promotion and relentless ambition, she’s made a career – a wildly-varied and successful career – without falling prey to such vainglory, bringing a timeless beauty that resonates within and without. That’s not easy to do in our culture of instant and unforgiving cancellation, or in an environment where youth is valued over all else. Ms. Buckley continues to defy is the world’s ageist notion that relevance and success is a thing of youth – simply by doing what she does, over and over again, and reinventing the ways in which an artist expresses themselves. It is a feat of majestic strength and power. She’s been doing that for her entire career, touching upon Broadway, television, singing, film and teaching. Her concert work may be seen as the most personal form of artistic expression, as the entire show is a journey of her own making. I’m looking forward to taking that journey with her once again.