Sondheim’s Assassins at Union Theatre

As part of the celebrations for Sondheim’s 80th birthday earlier this year, the Union in Southwark will revive his musical Assassins from 30th June to 24th July 2010.

I saw the London premiere of this production which was directed by Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse in 1992 and it lends itself perfectly to a small space like the Union.

The show is a revue-style portrayal of men and women who attempted (successfully or otherwise) to assassinate Presidents of the United States including John Wilkes Booth (Abraham Lincoln), Lee Harvey Oswald (John F Kennedy), Charles Guiteau (James Garfield), John Hinckley (Ronald Reagan) and Giuseppe Zangara (Franklin D Roosevelt).  The book is by John Weidman who worked with Sondheim on Pacific Overtures).

Amongst the other events being staged in London as part of Sondheim’s birthday celebrations are: this weekend’s The Night of 1000 Voices concert at the Royal Albert Hall, a dedicated BBC Prom, and revivals of Passion , Merrily We Roll Along and Company at the Donmar and Into the Woods at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.