John Weidman – Analog Artist Digital World

Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House in downtown Orlando will host a production of Assassins, which is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by John Weidman, based on an original concept by Charles Gilbert Jr.

Staged by the Florida Theatrical Association, and directed by Kenny Howard, the production makes amazing use of this historic venue which will soon faces it’s own assassination by developers who want it demolished for a condo sky rise, since what Orlando needs is more high rent shoe boxes.

Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in a one-act historical musical 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.

When Pam and I arrived, I knew I wanted to sketch the production as if viewed from Lincoln’s Presidential booth at the Ford Theater. Unfortunately the Saloon’s first level balcony was to be used by actors who appeared with blood red spot lights illuminating them from below during the show. There was another balcony above that but the sight lines made it impossible to see the stage. We finally climbed to the highest levels, having to walk through the actors green room to get there. From this vantage point, the technicians and stage director took center stage, while the performers worked on the distant stage. On the balcony above the stage a band performed. Unfortunately the acoustics were not stellar from where we sat, but we both knew the play and could follow along. I should note that even from our nose bleed level I could tell the performer for John Wilkes boot has some major singing chops.

I tend to feel a bit uncomfortable with performers holding guns. Of course actor Alec Baldwin thought his gun held blanks when he shot his cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins dead. A lawyer for Alec Baldwin said on April 21. 2022 that an investigation by New Mexico has cleared his client of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust.” Halyna’s life was found to be worth only $137,000, which is how much New Mexico fined the Rust production. Orlando is is also where a gunman entered the Pulse Nightclub and murdered 49 people and injuring 53 others. From as far away as we were, I could not make out if the weapons were historically accurate. The gun’s sound effects were at least played down, being unrealistic slaps.

Assassins will run April 22, 2022 to May 1, 2022 at the Cheyenne Saloon on Church Street. Tickets are available now through Eventbrite. Tickets range from $22 to $100 for VIP seating.

I went to sketch the opening night performance of Assassins at Breakthrough Theater (419 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789). Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics and he also wrote the music for one of my favorite shows, Sunday in the Park with George. I had never seen Assassins but since I love Sondheim, I had to go. The book was by John Weidman, and the show was directed by Angela Cotto.

Breakthrough theater is a tiny little gem in Winter Park. The lobby was warm and welcoming with a concessions stand. The walls were covered floor to ceiling with framed posters from past shows. This show wasn’t as crowded as I would have expected for a Sondheim musical.

The premise of the show was strange and unsettling. Assassins from throughout America’s history assembled together to justify their second Amendment right to bear arms and kill presidents. In the opening act, Iris M. Johnson, acted as a gun dealer offering guns to each assassin in turn to bolster their self worth and ego. John Wilkes Booth, (Gabrial Garcia) sang a ballad, about why he needed to kill Abraham Lincoln after the Civil War had ended.

Every Assassin was always waving around a gun, and sitting in the front row, I felt uncomfortable having so many weapons pointed in my general direction. Granted they were clearly toy guns and the audio sound effects were faint caps popping any time a gun was fired.

In one scene, Rebecca McVeigh as “Squeaky” Fromme, the girlfriend of Charles Manson, and Carol Jaqueline Palumbo as Sara Jane Moore, started shooting at a bucket of Kentucky Fried chicken. Squeeky’s manic laughter was truly terrifying, but what was more terrifying was the fact that so many people in the audience were laughing. Perhaps this is deeply ingrained in America, we are taught from an early age that violence is funny and entertaining.

Lee Harvey Oswald (Scott Gilbert) had a conscience. He went to work carrying a package of curtain rods. His minimum wage job left him with low self esteem. The entire cast of assassins, sang a song encouraging him to shoot John Kennedy. According to them his act of violence would help keep their memory alive. When he opened the package of curtain rods, he found a rifle. At one point they became a chorus line waving their guns in unison.

I find myself sketching people who are still deeply affected by the massacre at Pulse. I respected Anderson Cooper for never saying the gunman’s name when reporting about the Pulse Nightclub massacre. The names of these assassins are better left unsaid. The very premise of the play seems to make light of the horror of such violent acts. I lost some respect for Sondheim for writing this musical that seems to glorify and justify the acts of these assassins. Perhaps the show might make audiences think twice about gun control, but the message is lost if they laugh instead. A mentally deranged person seeing this play might think that they might one day share the fame of these assassins. We are sitting on a powder keg. All that said, one song from the show keeps ringing in my head. (Why did You Do it Johnny?)

Performances of Assassins continue through November 26, 2018.

Tickets are $20 General Admission, $18 Seniors, $15 Students, and $12 on Mondays.