"Assassins" is a Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman that explores the lives and motivations of nine individuals who assassinated or attempted to assassinate Presidents of the United States.
Characters like John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Leon Czolgosz, and others, driven by personal grievances or desires for fame, interact across different historical periods, allowing for a blend of eras where they influence and confront each other.
The show delves into the darker aspects of the American Dream, examining the extreme lengths to which individuals will go to achieve notoriety. Each assassin's story is presented with intelligent lyrics and haunting melodies, revealing their troubled minds and desperate motivations.
The musical provides a darkly humorous yet thought-provoking commentary on political violence, fame, and the desire for significance in American society.
It challenges the audience to reflect on the nature of celebrity, the consequences of disenfranchisement, and the pervasive desire for recognition, making it a powerful and unsettling theatrical experience.