Media Credit: Photo courtesy of Mark Rutkowski Julia Lornez plays Sarah Jane Moore, left, and Zachary Ullah interprets Charles Guiteau in the UT theater department's play "Assassins".

PRO

For the opening night of "Assassins," the actors performed nearly faultlessly. Early in the show, several of the actors had trouble remaining audible over the swelling music, but they quickly found the cadence and volume to suit the music.

Qadir Khan, who portrayed Leon Czolgosz, the near-forgotten assassin of near-forgotten President William McKinley, made a lasting impression with his meek, understated speech and nervous gestures. His declaration of love to anarchist Emma Goldman placed a truly tender moment amid a mostly dark comedy. Each of the characters spoke convincingly from their time and place, though Giuseppe Zangara's thick accent often bordered on incomprehensible.

The technical aspects of the production - specifically the lighting and set design - clearly stood out, with the synchronizing of lights and music reminding the audience that the offstage crew's role is just as instrumental as the actors'.

The carnival set design beckoned the actors to "shoot to win!" and perfectly complemented the script's commentary on the obsession the assassins had with making a name for themselves in death. Only the inclusion of Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin, who died of drug overdoses, among the portraits of assassinated figures, seemed out of place in the set design.

Short of a few negligible missteps, the theater department's production of "Assassins" succeeds in keeping an audience rapt and warrants the price of admission. Thespians and history buffs alike should find merit in this production of a popular recent musical.

- Ben Cox



CON

I've never been a Stephen Sondheim fan. I despise "Into the Woods" and have a less-than-positive opinion of "Sweeney Todd." The theater department's production of "Assassins" was almost professional quality and somehow able to keep me entertained throughout a play that I very nearly hate. Seeing their potential just makes their choice in script that much more tragic.

The production itself was very impressive. The set was creatively constructed, and I thought all of the costumes were appropriate and fitting. I was a little disappointed that the actors were in shadow much too often, even during solos, and the stage in general was not well-lit. The actors all sang wonderfully, and I particularly liked the Sara Jane Moore character, who served as the comic relief. Overall, however, the production was well executed (pun intended).

The script elicited a different feeling from me. Once again, Sondheim tries to delve into the mind of the insane, but instead just makes himself look nuts.

The idea behind the play (seeing things from the assassins' points of view) is a creative one that could result in a terrific story, but Sondheim takes way too much creative initiative and runs away with himself. Fantasy stories are not supposed to be realistic, but the writer has to make that world believable within itself. Sondheim fails miserably at this when he runs away with even the simplest of historical facts. Sondheim may not be twisted and demented, but his works certainly are.

- Lara Hasse

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