Curtain Call Theatre presents ASSASSINS, a musical.

Curtain Call’s Front Street Theatre in Mokena is thrilled to present the Tony Award winning musical ASSASSINS by Stephen Sondheim. ASSASSINS takes us on a wild musical journey of the 9 people who were either successful or unsuccessful in assassinating a United States President. Through the magic of the musical revue all of these assassins are brought together throughout the eras in a carnival setting where the proprietor convinces them that the world would be better if they kill a President. With the help of the Balladeer sung by Max Hillman of Joliet, we get to go back in time and see how each of these assassins decide to embark on their dream to kill a President.

The story starts with the first assassin, John Wilkes Booth who famously killed Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, played by Lincoln-Way Central’s choral director, Mike Bultman. The story continues bouncing from era to era introducing each of the assassins. Charles Guiteau assassinated President James Garfield in the waiting room of the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Station on July 2, 1881, Guiteau is portrayed by Mark Frost of Joliet. Myles Mattsey, a 2019 graduate of Lincoln-Way West plays Leon Czolgosz, who assassinated President William McKinley in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901. Czolgosz was put to death by electric chair 45 days after killing the President.

How would WWII have been different if Giuseppe Zangara had been successful in trying to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt in Miami, Florida on February 15, 1933? Giuseppe is played by Austin Cummings, a music tech student at Joliet Junior College. Matt Carey returns to theatre to play the very crazy Samuel Byck who attempted to assassinate Richard Nixon by hijacking a commercial jetliner to crash dive into the White House on February 22, 1974.

Did you know that there have only been two women assassins? Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme played by Savannah Riestenberg of Plainfield and Sara Jane Moore played by Kyna Simpson of Matteson, both attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in September of 1975 in California. Vince De Re of Mokena, plays John Hinckley who wounds President Ronald Regan in March 1981 when he attempted to assassinate Regan outside the Washington D.C. Hilton to impress Jodie Foster. In one of the final scenes of the show, we meet the famous Lee Harvey Oswald played by Bryant Jepsen, a theatre student at JJC. Oswald ponders what he is about to do from the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, when he is surrounded by all the other assassins who encourage him to shoot John F. Kennedy.

These assassins are supported by the incredibly talented ensemble of Alicia Cuccia, Ben Radeke, Jack Wagner, Jennifer Mahoney, Jodie Brugler, PJ Janicki, Joe Kotze and Dillon Ruzich who play bystanders, presidents, photographers, reporters and tourists. The production team consisting of Director, Nicki Blowers, Music Director, Sue Malmberg, and Assistant Director, Mike Naughton are bringing ASSASSINS to the Curtain Call stage on June 7th – 9th and June 14th – 16th at the Front Street Theatre located at: 11112 Front Street, Mokena. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.ccctheatre.com. Tickets are $22 each. Adult content and strong language may not be suitable for all ages. In addition, there are simulated gunshots during the performance.

Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM, Book by JOHN WEIDMAN, ASSASSINS is based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr., Playwrights Horizons, Inc - New York City, Produced ASSASSINS Off-Broadway in 1990, Orchestrations by Michael Starobin. ASSASSINS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com.