Boston University School of Theatre to present Sondheim’s Assassins
Boston, MA – The Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theatre will present Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, running May 4-10 at the Boston University Theatre at 264 Huntington Avenue. The production is directed by Jim Petosa, with music direction by Matthew Stern and choreography by Judith Chaffee. The production features students and designers from the School of Theatre, supported by a live orchestra.
General admission is $12, with discounts available. Details and tickets are available at www.bostontheatrescene.com or 617.933.8600.
With music and lyrics by the legendary Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, the original New York run of Assassins was staged Off-Broadway in 1990. During the 2004 presidential election year, a Broadway revival won five Tony Awards.
Assassins is a striking satire of the anarchic political violence that tragically persists at the core of our culture. The musical explores the history of presidential assassinations in America, ranging from well-known historical figures such as John Wilkes Booth, John Hinckley, Jr., and “Squeaky” Fromme to lesser known assassins and attempted assassins including Samuel Byck (attempted assassin of President Richard Nixon), Leon Czolgosz (assassin of President William McKinley), and Charles Guiteau (assassin of President James Garfield). The musical style of each song in the 90-minute production reflects the historical period in which the individual “assassins” lived.
With the 2012 presidential election process well underway, Sondheim’s Assassins investigates the American political system and suggests that political assassinations are a byproduct of that culture.
Petosa, who also serves as Director of the BU School of Theatre, states, “It is typical for Sondheim and his collaborators to develop theatrical pieces that explore surprisingly complex concepts. Assassins probes the minds of these notorious American characters, who dared to change the world by employing the darkest of means. The musical’s assertion of their motives and our own societal response to them makes for compelling theatre.”
The production marks the conclusion of the Keyword Violence, the BU College of Fine Arts’ year-long examination of the theme of violence.
Sondheim is a New York-born composer and lyricist for stage and film best known for Assassins, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, and Into the Woods. He also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy. Sondheim is the winner of an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards (more than any other composer) including a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award. The Boston University School of Theatre previously produced Sondheim’s musical Merrily We Roll Along in May 2010.
According to Joanne Gordon’s 1990 book, Art Isn’t Easy: The Theater of Stephen Sondheim, “(Sondheim) confronts pain in order to cauterize the decay and heal the sicknesses which lurk at the core of our society.”
For more information, visit www.bu.edu/cfa/theatre.
ABOUT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized private research university with more than 30,000 students participating in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. BU consists of 17 colleges and schools along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes which are central to the school’s research and teaching mission. The Boston University College of Fine Arts was created in 1954 to bring together the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. The University’s vision was to create a community of artists in a conservatory-style school offering professional training in the arts to both undergraduate and graduate students, complemented by a liberal arts curriculum for undergraduate students. Since those early days, education at the College of Fine Arts has begun on the BU campus and extended into the city of Boston, a rich center of cultural, artistic and intellectual activity.
The School of Theatre in the College of Fine Arts at Boston University was established in 1954 as one of the country’s leading institutions for the study of acting, stage management, design, production, and all aspects of the theatrical profession. In recent years, the School of Theatre has evolved into an energetic place that values the notion of “the new conservatory” and seeks to provide students with opportunities for artistic growth through a rigorous curriculum, professional connections, and an emphasis on collaboration and new work.
AT A GLANCE
Assassins
Stephen Sondheim, music and lyrics
John Weidman, book
Jim Petosa, director
Matthew Stern, music director
Judith Chaffee, choreographer
Friday, May 4, 7:30pm
Saturday, May 5, 8pm
Sunday, May 6, 2pm (Talk-Back)
Tuesday, May 8, 7:30pm
Wednesday, May 9, 7:30pm
Thursday, May 10, 10am (ASL interpreted) and 7:30pm (ASL interpreted)
Boston University Theatre
264 Huntington Avenue, Boston
T Green “E” Line, Symphony stop
T Orange Line, Mass Ave. stop
BU Bus Stop C2/M6; schedule at www.bu.edu/thebus
Tickets: $12 general public, $10 BU Alumni, WGBH members, Huntington subscribers, students, senior citizens, and groups of 10 or more; BU Community: one free ticket with BU ID at the door, day of performance, subject to availability.
Box Office: www.BostonTheatreScene.com or 617.933.8600.
MEDIA ONLY
To request press tickets, high resolution photos, video, or additional information, please contact:
Liz Mazar Phillips at 617.353.3384 or mazar@bu.edu