A window to my warped mind

The video you are watching is a scene from one of my most favorite Broadway musicals: Sondheim's Assassins. Very few people enjoyed this musical as much as I did. The musical first opened off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on January 27, 1991. The revival opened on Broadway at Studio 54 on April 22, 2004. 

The play is about all the assassins and would-be assassins of the presidents of the United States. The scene you are viewing is the finale. All the murders or attempted murders have been accomplished. Mario Cantone (one of my favorite zany comedians) played Samuel Byck (Nixon's would-be assassin) in the revival of the play. He is wearing the Santa Claus suite. The photograph on the right is that of Mario Cantone.


Awards and nominations (Revival)

Tony Award

• Best Revival of a Musical (WINNER)
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Michael Cerveris) (WINNER)
• Best Lighting Design (Peggy Eisenhauer and Jules Fisher) (WINNER)
• Best Direction of a Musical (Joe Mantello) (WINNER)
• Best Orchestration (Michael Starobin) (WINNER)
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Denis O'Hare) (nominated)
• Best Scenic Design (nominated)

Drama Desk Award

• Outstanding Revival of a Musical (WINNER)
• Outstanding Director of a Musical (nominated)
• Outstanding Orchestrations (nominated)
• Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (nominated)
• Outstanding Lighting Design (nominated)
• Outstanding Sound Design (nominated)
• Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Marc Kudisch) (nominated)

I own both the off-Broadway and the Broadway recordings. I prefer the off-Broadway's recording.

If you want to learn more about this play, just follow this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassins_(musical)