This Assassins at the Bridewell Theatre is ambitious but not successful. Directed by Dan Edge for SEDOS, the production announces itself as sharp, timely political commentary. In truth it is a cluttered slog, largely due to Sondheim’s unmemorable and cumbersome material. The Americon 2025 frame is clever in theory but bloats the storytelling and muddies the show’s emotional logic. The production tries to examine the American Dream, spectacle, and violence. Mostly it delivers a noisy surface gloss and leaves the substance untapped.
The carnival convention opening is bold. The idea of the audience as delegates being worked by cheerleaders and MCs is, initially, striking. But this device quickly becomes a gimmick that interrupts pacing. Instead of sharpening Sondheim and Weidman’s writing it competes with it. The assassins line-up is introduced briskly enough. Names like Czolgosz, Booth, Zangara, Guiteau and Moore appear. Yet character work is thin and musical moments struggle to land.
Numbers like the Gun Song nearly work. Dufton as Czolgosz gives the number weight and clarity. But the production undercuts itself. Zangara’s confession buried under ironic pom-pom choreography feels like a joke that comes three times too often. Booth’s slick salesman routine could have anchored the show. Instead it becomes one more layer in an already over-layered concept.
Individual performances do their best within these confines. Dufton’s baritone is strong. Puksand has stage presence as Booth. Dawes tries to find pathos and humour in Sara Jane Moore. Sugarman has flickers of tragic absurdity as Guiteau. Phipps-Davis offers a fierce Zangara. But the direction rarely gives these portraits space to breathe. Scenes speed from idea to idea. The ensemble work is capable and the cheerleader choreography is tidy. It just feels like movement for the sake of movement rather than a meaningful argument in physical form.
The show should land hard in 2025. The idea that violence sells and grievance is performative would resonate if staged with more restraint. Instead the show states its thesis again and again but does not lead the audience deeper than the headline. Female assassins come off as under-written.
This is a production with good intentions and obvious work behind it. It simply collapses under the weight of its own chosen device. The production tells you it is edgy and current rather than earning those qualities through dramatic clarity. There is talent here. There is craft here. The result is still a misfire.
Assassins Review ★★☆☆☆
