Assassins - Roleystone

The ever (almost maniacally) busy Paul Treasure has been plying his Directorial trade in the hills of Perth with his latest offering being the 1991 John Weidman & Steven Sondheim musical  “Assassins” which opened to an almost capacity crowd at Roleystone Theatre last night.

Reading straight from the programme:

“On 22^nd November, 1963, a single shot changed the world forever. This was neither the first nor the last time. Seven men and two women from 120 years of American history get together to explore the motivations and madnesses that made them all Assassins. This is one of the most daring, surprising and funniest musicals ever written”.

Well, it certainly is all that and more!

This musical tale of the rogues of American history is certainly not what one could call a “traditional” musical, is not for the feint hearted and will probably not be everyone’s cup of tea due to some of the language used, but it is none the less certainly worthy of commendation and the scenic evening or afternoon drive along the Brookton Highway to catch the show.

Featuring some of Perth’s best known musical theatre performers, the skillful touches of up-and-coming Musical Director Sarah Cosstick and the talents of Band Leader Matt Austin, this “edge of your seat” production has all the polish and style that we have come to expect from our community theatre entertainment scene in recent times.

The stories of these seven infamous members of American society are excellently portrayed by all the cast with standout performances by Peter “Pear” Carr (as John Wilkes Booth), Tim Howe (as The Balladeer & Lee Harvey Oswald), Lindsay Oelsnik (as Sara Jane Moore) and Emma Stephenson (as Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme).

Opening night is not without its trials and tribulations, unintentionally one of the more comedic moments being the catch on a prop gun belonging to Booth that refused to stay closed (perhaps a dab of super glue there guys?) and the wonderful miss-timing of gunshot vs. action from Ms. Moore.

My only real criticism of the production is that I felt that (and, as an audio tech, it really bugs me to say this because it is not a huge auditorium) some of the cast really should have been miked up to get their voices above the volume level of the band. Perhaps this was opening night nerves, as the more seasoned performers among the group seemed to have no trouble.

Physically, this is a well thought out and constructed work (find the American flag in the set) with excellent use being made of the trapdoor in the stage for entrances and “untimely” exits.

All in all a wonderful nights’ entertainment that I would (and do) whole-heartedly recommend to all…. if you are over 18 or accompanied by parents.

The production will continue to run until March 21^st….. Providing no-one gets shot!

Disclaimer???? Not required – I have absolutely no involvement in this production other than as an audience member.