Assassins – Pleasance Theatre 

Assassins continues at the Pleasance Theatre until 8 April 2018.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Assassins is a show that I’ve seen countless times, but only really fully enjoyed on a handful of occasions. It’s a tricky show for newcomers to the material, set as it is in a limbo-like carnival where a mob of successful and failed US Presidential assassins hang around and chew the fat.

The songs are never considered Sondheim’s most accessible – the Bacharach-inspired ‘Unworthy of Your Love’ is probably the only cabaret-friendly number – and the one-act book has little in the way of plot or development.

It is, though, the show that both Sondheim and book writer John Weidman consider their closest thing to perfection, at least in terms of their own output. When done properly – Jamie Lloyd’s coruscating 2014 production at the Menier remains the benchmark for me – it’s electrifying and terrifying in equal measure; when not, it can leave you itching to pull the trigger on the show and put it out of its misery.

So what of this new revival at North London’s Pleasance Theatre?

Well, it’s a little bit of both. The cast is roundly impressive, with no weak links. All handle the material – and the doubling of roles – beautifully, and the singing is top notch, particular in the big ensemble numbers. For a show I’ve seen so many times, it’s a treat to see scenes unfold in surprising ways, and a lot of work has clearly gone into the text.

But the production values of Louise Bakker’s show – and the first outing for the new formed Sevans Productions – all too often let down this wonderful cast and MD Jordan Clarke’s five-piece band.

The set, while inventive and making really effective use of the revolve, is amateurish in execution, and I was constantly distracted by stagehands drifting in and out of view. (Close the black curtain behind the stage, please!)

Worst of all, though, was the sound, which I’m hoping was an unfortunate one-off. Poor Jason Kajdi (The Balladeer) started the show with no amplification at all, and it was only when he returned later that you could hear he had a decent voice. Well done to MD Clarke for compensating at the piano and giving us a chance to hear him.

Later, Toby Hine (John Hinckley) suffered the same fate – or inherited the same duff mic pack. Such a pity that so many of the other mics popped, scratched or dropped in and out.

All that said, I do adore this show, and I can’t find fault in any of Sondheim’s numbers. Musically, it’s a masterclass in American pop culture – hoe-downs, Pete Seeger-style folk ballads, Sousa marches, the aforementioned Bacharach pop, cakewalks, barbershop quartets and flag-waving anthems – and such was the strength of the performances that I could eventually put aside the technical niggles and annoyances.

With such a hard-working and talented ensemble, it’s perhaps unfair to pick out individual performances, but Abigail Williams practically steals the show as Sara Jane Moore and her turn is perhaps the finest and funniest I’ve ever seen in this role.

Alfie Parker is a very powerful Sam Byck – he has some voice – and Andrew Pepper’s camp, eccentric Charles Guiteau milks the part for every drop of comedy.

Alexander McMorran does a fine job of John Wilkes Booth – also on the camp and eccentric side (aka “off his head”), which is a refreshing change – and Conor McFarlane gives us a beautifully nuanced and controlled Leon Czolgosz.

Hats off too to Jack Reitman, who’s in strong voice as Giuseppe Zangara, and to Kajdi as the Balladeer-turned-Lee Harvey Oswald, whose final scene with McMorran throbs with the electricity that this show can generate with the right cast.

Rounding off the ensemble – last to be mentioned but by no means least – are Peter Watts as the Proprietor, Hine as a very awkward John Hinckley, and Michaela Cartmell as Lynette Fromme.

I’m wont to err on the generous side so I’ll cross my fingers and hope that the technical issues will be resolved, as this is a quality ensemble that deserve the best support they can get. I’m not a big fan of the Pleasance as a venue but this is otherwise a credible Fringe production that, for £18 a ticket, is certainly worth a shot.

Craig Glenday