Polly Findlay’s insightful reimagining of Assassins actually hits dwelling with an excellent solid at Chichester Festival Theatre
“Everybody’s got the right to be different
Even though at times they go to extremes.”
The world of latest politics gives fertile, if fast-moving floor for inspiration for a lot of a theatre director and from the second you enter Chichester Festival Theatre for this revival of the 1990 Stephen Sondheim musical Assassins, it’s clear that Polly Findlay hasn’t held again one tiny bit. Kid Rock and Kenny Chesney (‘She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy’ anybody…?!) increase by means of the stereo, perma-smiling functionaries in bedazzled Uncle Sam outfits exhort us to ship Mexican waves (good luck with stony-faced press night time reviewers 😂), we’re in full-on Trump rally mode full with a countdown clock.
And as soon as the curtain is peeled again on the additional reaches of Lizzie Clachan’s design, from its Oval Office to its lengthy catwalk out into the viewers, we discover ourselves immersed on this planet of 24/7 rolling information. It’s an ingenious prism by means of which to navigate John Weidman (ebook) and Sondheim’s (music and lyrics) conceit of gathering collectively a bunch of people who tried to assassinate sitting Presidents of the USA, and in some instances succeeded, the denigration of US political discourse spearheaded by the affect of the Murdochs and Fox News mirrored right here within the nearly gameshow nature of the best way it performs out.
It’s a pointed approach of studying the fabric however because the Mar-a-Lago revelations come flooding in (that rest room!), it feels entirelty apposite. The Proprietor turns into Trump himself (a brilliantly efficient Peter Forbes), pulling the strings and proffering weapons proper, far proper and centre. The function of the Balladeer is cut up right into a trio of brightly synthetic Fox News-type presenters (Liam Tamne, Lizzy Connolly and Samuel Thomas completely nailing the tone). The orchestra, expertly led by Jo Cichonska, sit out entrance in sunken pits, theshining crimson of their MAGA caps shining out for all to see. It’s all completely, ideologically brash however not a lot as to be overwhelming.
The manufacturing is blessed with a crack firm too, who present their snapshots of US historical past by means of the vignettes that tells their tales. Harry Hepple’s Charles Guiteau is splendidly maniacal in his delusions that led him to shoot James A Garfield, Nick Holder is terrifying in Samuel Byck’s grubby Santa swimsuit delivering screeds towards Richard Nixon (and Leonard Bernstein!), Amy Booth-Steel continues her wonderful work in conveying a lot character with restricted time as Sara Jane Moore along with her abortive try and off Gerald Ford, and Danny Mac is powerfully efficient as John Wilkes Booth whose capturing of Lincoln ostensibly set the template right here.
Sondheim’s melodies stay evergreen, ‘Everybody’s Got The Right’ the archetypal toe-tapper of an opener, bluntly reprised as a chilling finale, and Jack Shalloo (John Hinckley) and Carly Mercedes Dyer (Lynette Fromme) have a ball in ‘Unworthy of Your Love’, going full on Whitney and Mariah on the duet’s shut. But what lingers longest by means of this insightful remedy is the best way wherein we see how these tales got here from the fringes of US society on the time, but immediately that fringe has been ushered ever nearer to the mainstream. As so starkly depicted by the ultimate picture of this Oval Office evoking the January sixth rebellion, it’s a chilling reminder of the endpoint of populist politics.