Alessandro claims the travails were a worthy experience. Secure in the new location, the company can now focus on the matter at hand--bringing entertaining theater to new audiences. The choice of material has mostly been with an eye to getting new people into the theater--adaptations of Pulp Fiction and The Princess Bride. "The idea is to come up with something people are at least familiar with," says Alessandro. "To make theater more accessible to an audience who maybe have never been before." And to concentrate on pieces with a darker edge.
Assassins certainly fits that particular bill. An exploration of America's history of political assassinations complete with songs placed in the mouths of the likes of Lee Harvey Oswald and Squeaky Fromme, the show is darkly absurdist with a deadly serious center. This time out, the show includes material added to the score by Stephen Sondheim for a later London run. Notable is a new number, "Something Just Broke," sung by the bystanders who become witnesses to history.
--David Gofstein
Assassins continues with performances at 8 p.m. Friday, March 19; 8 p.m. Saturday, March 20; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 21, at the New School for the Arts, 7475 East McDowell in Scottsdale. 256-7898.