'Assassins' at Classic Stage Company announces 3-week extension, will host talkbacks

The revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical runs from November 2 - January 29.

After quickly selling out its original run, the Off-Broadway revival of Assassins has announced a three-week extension at Classic Stage Company. The musical, which began performances November 2 and opens November 14, will now run until January 29, 2022, three weeks later than the original January 9 closing date.

The production stars a cast including Adam Chanler-Berat, Eddie Cooper, Tavi Gevinson, Andy Grotelueschen, Judy Kuhn, Steven Pasquale, Ethan Slater, Will Swenson, Wesley Taylor, Brandon Uranowitz as historical figures who all assassinated or tried to assassinate a U.S. president. The story is set at a shooting gallery carnival game, where the assassins are all invited by a Proprietor to "mock"-commit their deeds. As they interact with each other, they urge each other on to make their crimes real to achieve celebrity or solve their supposed problems in the name of the American Dream.

As part of its Classic Perspectives event series, Classic Stage Company will host talkbacks about the show's themes after three performances in 2021. The November 18 talk, "Actor-Musicians at CSC and Beyond," will feature Assassins director and CSC artistic director John Doyle in a discussion of his previous work and actor-musicians in the show. On December 4, attorney Matthew Fishbein and forensic psychologist Dr. Alberto Yohananoff will discuss the "insanity" defense that many of the assassins and would-be assassins employed at their trials. Finally, Doyle and the company will discuss the rehearsal process and the show's creation at a December 7 talkback.

Assassins features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by John Weidman. In addition to regular tickets, the show has lottery tickets available.