Barn Players "Assassins" review by moober

Barn Players' 'Assassins':  'Attention must be paid!'

Rating: 4

Assassins

The Barn Players, Inc.

Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins" is a bit of a hard sell.  A show about people who assassinated or tried to assassinate an American president.  And it's a musical.  It's difficult to know what to expect from a description like that.  But while the show does have some failings, it succeeds on many points.  Not only do we see these killers (or would-
be killers) in their historical context and learn about their madness or extremism, we also see them in a sort of limbo, where they interact with each other, spur each other on, and believe it or not, form a community.

The Barn Players current production of "Assassins" succeeds largely because of the outstanding ensemble performance of the cast, who make us care about this community of misfits and maniacs.  This is not a show where the performers can get by on singing ability alone - there is also great acting required, and this cast mostly excels on both levels.  The brightest performance in the show comes from Laura Roose (as Sara Jane Moore) who shows some serious comedic, acting, and singing talent.  Other standout performances include Adam McAdoo (as The Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald) and Greg Butell (as Samuel Byck), although most of the cast is excellent.

Aside from the assassins, there is also a chorus ensemble who show up throughout the show in supporting roles.  This ensemble is also lucky enough to present the show's emotional high point, "Something Just Broke", a song that brings the show down to earth by presenting the reactions of everyday people to a presidential assassination.

I found the direction of the show to be excellent, as it moved smoothly from scene to scene.  The set was elaborate and appropriately creepy, but changed only slightly throughout the show, making scene transitions short and smooth.  The use of visual projections enhanced the show and emphasized some of the historical relevance.  There were sound problems during the show, including a frequent low hum through the speakers and occasional moments of painful feedback, but unfortunately this is common to all KC community theater productions.

Overall, this is an excellent production of a strangely engaging quirky show.


read the review at KC Stage