December 5-14, 2014 at The Playhouse at Overture
We began our 10th anniversary season with a show from the modern master of musical theatre, Stephen Sondheim. In Assassins, Sondheim and book writer John Weidman create a murderous carnival game, parading across the stage misfits and malcontents who have attempted to assassinate a President.
"In Four Seasons Theatre’s first-rate production of one of Sondheim’s thorniest, most ethically troubling works, we find out by revisiting the stories of our country’s most notorious assassins. If you’ll forgive the deadly pun, you’ll end up leaving the theater blown away, humming the tunes and feeling very uneasy about what you’ve just witnessed. In other words, exactly what Sondheim wanted."
From "Blown Away. Four Seasons takes ASSASSINS to new heights," Madison Magazine
"The musical is dark, rich and intimate, played out on a set that resembles both a three-ring circus and the gallows. It features a macabre assortment of miscreants and losers who metamorphose into some of the most influential forces in history: presidential assassins. ....Production staff deliver what I've come to expect from Four Seasons, a stellar experience that, if you fuzz your eyes for a moment, looks and sounds like the best of Off-Broadway."
Read the Full Review from The Isthmus
"Four Seasons is blessed to have a cast of such capable actors for a show like ASSASSINS."
From "Vindicating the Assassins," full review by Broadway World
Our cast included Katie Bates (Squeaky Fromme), Chris Fechtelkotter (Zangara), Scott Haden (Balladeer), Erica Rosenfeld Halverson (Ensemble), Michael Herold (Proprietor), Micah Herstand (Hinckley), Daniel Jajewski (David Herold/Ensemble), Jordan Peterson (Czolgosz), Dan Plummer (Ensemble), Meghan Randolph (Sara Jane Moore), Greg Reed (Guiteau), Trevor Rees (Oswald), Hannah Ripp-Dieter (Ensemble), Ross Shenker (Ensemble), Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek (Booth), Sarah Streich (Emma Goldman/Ensemble), and Bart Terrell (Byck).
The Production Staff for Assassins was be led by Director Jessica Lanius (Theatre Lila) and Producer Sarah Marty. Joining them were Music Director Erin Crabb, Scenic and Props Designer Chris Dunham, Lighting Designer Jason Fassl, Costume Designer Jenni Schwaner Ladd, Assistant Director and Hair/Makeup Designer Karen Olivo, Sound Designer Jim Uphoff, Stage Manager Martie Barthel, ASM Jo Chalhoub, and Dramaturg Jack Nee.
Generous support for this production has been provided by the Pleasant Rowland Fund for Theater, a component fund of the Madison Community Foundation and 2014-2015 season sponsors Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television. Additional support has been provided by Dane Arts, Park Printing Solutions, and the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.