The assassins of Assassins (from L to R): John Hinkley (Austin VanderPlaat), Squeaky Fromme (Melissa Miller), Charles Guiteau (George Comstock), Sara Jane Moore (Tracy Nygard), Lee Harvey Oswald (Mark Anderson), Leon Czolgosz (Ward Fairbairn), John Wilkes Booth (Kory Weimer), Giuseppe Zangara (Marc Siegel), Samuel Byck (Dale Flynn)
From the Executive Director
“Why do you want to do a show about assassins, anyway?” This is the question I have been asked more than any other in the weeks leading up to the opening of the musical Assassins. Here is why I am really excited to be in the audience tomorrow night . . .
Reason #1: the music
Assassins was composed by Stephen Sondheim, who has won more Tony Awards for his musicals than any other composer for good reason. The score is brilliant, complex, and enthralling -- and a little bit disturbing -- all at once. The music pulls you into the drama and doesn’t let you go. Read more . . .
Earl Ruttencutter as the Proprietor in CT's Assassins
Program Preview — read it here first.
New York dramaturg Julie Hegner wrote the following piece especially for the Cottage Theatre program of Assassins:
"Stephen Sondheim's Assassins has had a somewhat bumpy road considering that it was written by one of America's most celebrated composers. It took two major productions and over a dozen years to get it to Broadway, and even then it did not have a long run. But despite its somewhat controversial subject matter, it remains a favorite among Sondheim fans and history buffs: a distinctly dark look at the shining promise of the American Dream." . . . Read more
A dark look at violence in America
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by John Weidman
Assassins is based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr.
Bold, original, disturbing, and alarmingly funny, Assassins is among the most controversial musicals ever written. This quintessentially American show lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in a historical revue that explores the dark side of the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, interact and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.Contains mature themes and language.Read more . . . .
October is renewal month at Cottage Theatre
If you are a 2014 season ticket holder, you should be receiving a renewal packet in the mail this week. Current subscribers enjoy a priority renewal period, now through October 31, during which you may reserve your seats for next season ahead of the general public. Sale of new season tickets will begin on November 1.
We're got a very exciting line-up of three plays and three musicals planned for 2015. Read more about it by clicking on the photo below. We hope you'll join us as a season ticket holder next year!
