Michael Handke/ Winonan

On Thursday, Oct. 16, I saw the musical  “Assassins” on The Vivian R. Fusillo Main Stage Theatre at Winona State University’s Performing Arts Center. The musical, written by Stephan Sondheim, focused on different assassinations and attempted assassinations of U.S. presidents in history, with assassins including Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth.

The set used dark colors which helped to create a dark, almost cynical atmosphere that the characters could play around in. The make up and costumes used were perfect for each character, from a goofy Santa suit all the way to 1970s garb, it was spot on. The makeup for Leon Czologsz, played by Jake Nielson, was especially spooky.

It gave you the idea of how completely bonkers these people were.

“Assassins” had a great amount of humor to sway from such a dark topic.

Audience member Angela Christianson also enjoyed the musical and said, “I really liked it. I thought it was an interesting take on the assassins in history.”

I never felt like I was trying to be persuaded or convinced into believing the assassins were good or bad people. There were some biased ideas, but they were presented in a humoristic or sarcastic manor I feel was not persuasive. Yet, I learned a lot about how these people changed the nation.

Many of the statements and lines said during the production were thought provoking, which I appreciated. It was definitely not a musical suited for young audiences, which I think made it even more enjoyable. The many aspects and ideas discussed were things which needed to be brought to light, so, why not add a few swear words to add intensity?

My favorite character was Sara Jane Moore, played by Amy Kennedy. She brought a lot of humor to the stage in a silly way such as pulling a shoe out of her purse instead of her gun, or even throwing bullets toward the president when her gun did not work. The laughs were endless with this character.

Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, played by Megan Smith, and Moore created the dynamic duo and main source of comedy for this production.

Sam Byck, played by Ross McNall, was also quite entertaining with his tape recorder and brilliant plans about how he was going to assassinate President Richard Nixon.

Another character I thought made a huge impact on the play was Lee Harvey Oswald, played by Cory Meier. I could feel myself getting emotional toward his appearance on stage.

“Why was life so hard for him?” “What was he going to do?” “What thoughts really went through his mind during this sad moment in history?” were all questions flooding my mind as Oswald was being persuaded into shooting President John F. Kennedy in the production.

The tension and emotions rose as all of the past and future assassins began to convince Oswald not to commit suicide but rather to shoot the president. The realization that people felt passion toward him—even though it was hateful passion—was enough reason for him to squeeze the trigger.  I felt sadness for the character at that point.

Barbra Burchill, another member of the audience, thought the show was fantastic upon its conclusion.

“It brought out a lot of different perspectives that many don’t think about,” Burchill said. “It was so well done.”

One downside to the performance was that it was sometimes hard to hear the actors. There were a few moments when I could not hear what was said at all, missing a punch line or the joke altogether. Beyond that, there were hardly any hiccups.

This musical was one show I will remember for a while. I learned a lot and continue to think about the many perspectives brought to light.

I enjoyed “Assassins” and found it well choreographed and entertaining.