Assassins (2004 Broadway Revival Cast)

Stephen Sondheim (Artist), Neil Patrick Harris (Artist), Marc Kudisch (Artist), Michael Cerveris (Artist), Denis O'Hare (Artist), James Barbour (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 3, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: P.S. Classics
• ASIN: B0002B161Y
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,765 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"Everybody's got a right/To their dream." So begins Stephen Sondheim's 1991 show Assassins--and in this case, said dreams involve killing an American president. The characters form a veritable rogues' gallery, including John Hinckley, Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth of course, but also half-forgotten luminaries such as Leon Czolgosz (who killed McKinley) and "Squeaky" Fromme (who aimed for Gerald Ford with an unloaded gun). While Sondheim's lyrics are trenchant as ever, his music, which ranges from Sousa pomp to clever little waltzes, is technically brilliant but also oddly uninvolving. (Many fans prefer the recording of the 1991 Off-Broadway version, though "Something Just Broke," which was added to the 1992 London production, makes its recorded debut here.) Still, there are several high points. In "Unworthy of Your Love," for instance, Hinckley and Fromme wax poetic about their unrequited love for Jodie Foster and Charles Manson, respectively, in a Burt Bacharach-style ballad that's deliberately (I hope!) sappy. And of course as with most Sondheim shows, the cast of this revival--Michael Cerveris, Mario Cantone, Becky Ann Baker, Marc Kudisch, Denis O'Hare--is very good. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - But Which Recording is Better?, August 4, 2004

By	Marcus (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews

Having taught classes on the work of Steven Sondheim, I have long considered Assassins to be my favorite of his works - not his best work, but definitely my favorite. I have had a long and wonderful love affair with the Original Cast Recording of Assassins, and with Victor Garbor and Terrance Mann heading that incredible cast, I was apprehensive when I received my Broadway Cast Recording. In the final analysis, it is easy to say that they both have their strengths and weaknesses, but here they are:
1. The Orchestrations on this new Broadway Cast Recording are definitive. They are rich, full, and flesh out one of my favorite aspects of this work of Sondheims; the music that accompanies each Assassin is written in the style of their background and/or time period.
2. The Cast on this new recording is very good. Niel Patrick Harris, who I saw in Sweeney Todd, rises to new levels of excellence. His clarity of tone, diction, feeling, and comprehension make his recordings superior to those of Patrick Cassidy which I did not expect. For those in the fold, the Ballad of Czolgosz is worth the price of the CD alone.
I found that this Guiteau gives us far less vocal flourish and characterization than did the original; but strangely, this does not weaken the character.
The Fromme here is very good, and is "squeaky" only in name, unlike the original.
The only two characters here who are not either better or just as good as the originals are Booth and Moore. With Booth, I felt that he has a deep, rich, and beautiful voice, but he has decided that his acting should occasionally take place outside of the notes of the score. In The Ballad of Booth, he should have let the music be the source of the drama, not his characterization. With Moore... well, I hate to say this, but she ruins the Gun Song, which is a little out of groove to begin with.
Oh, and Zangara doesn't sell me at the end of "How I Saved Roosevelt"
3. The Songs - Yes, Unworthy of Your Love is great here, and the brass give it that extra something that it needs towards the end. Fromme goes slightly flat at one obvious point, but as a whole, a great recording (ESPECIALLY THE TAG WITH REAGAN). Everybody's Got the Right is just as haunting and beautiful as it has ever been. Another National Anthem and The Ballad of Guiteau are definitive recordings. There are also some magnificent tags and dialogue on this recording.
With the song Something Just Broke, which was added to Assassins later, I have always heard said was "out of place" in Assassins, and I now know why this criticism is common. It is not that the sentiment is out of place - the music is. This sounds just like Passion, not Assassins. (Passion was Sondheim's next show, which he was probably writing when he wrote Something Just Broke). This doesn't make it a bad song - actually, it's amazingly beautiful.
Overall, buy this one, love this one, and then buy the Original Cast Recording. (Or vice versa)

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you missed the show, buy the album, August 6, 2004

By	M. Buckner "theatergoer and musical theater C... (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was lucky enough to see the revival of Assassins twice before it closed on July 18th. I'd never heard the 1991 premier recording before seeing the show. I ADORED the show and counted down the days before I could buy the album.

Many of the actors in this recording stand out - Michael Cerveris deservedly won a Tony for his portrayal of Booth, Neil Patrick Harris brings humanity to Lee Harvey Oswald and melodic beauty to the Balladeer. I have to say James Barbour is my favorite with his rich baritone when singing "The Gun Song". The only two that are a bit under par are Jeffery Kuhn (Zangara) - his enunciation and emphasis really annoyed me, I couldn't even understand him in the actual show - and Becky Ann Baker, which disappointed me because she was A LOT more fluid and on pitch in the live show. (She sounds like she might be sick when they recorded this)

Many people say they prefer the original's Charles Guiteau, but I disagree. I find Denis O'Hare to be delightfully insane, still I can understand how one who hasn't seen the show might be turned off by his vocal quality on the CD. It's more his characterization that's wonderful, rather than his singing.

"Unworthy of your love" has a more pop sound here, but that makes it more fun to listen to (It's my favorite song on the CD)

Finally, the packaging makes this all the more enjoyable. (ooh glossy photos!) The songs are individual tracks (a pet-peeve I have with Original Cast Album) and are interspurced with dialogue from the show. (The Reagan comments from the Proprieter are worth the album alone!)

Anyways, this is an almost flawless recording from a powerful, witty, satirical and poignent show. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have! :)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, June 19, 2005

By	Laura (Fostoria, Oh United States) - See all my reviews

People, THIS is a Broadway revival- definitely not a disappointment. The cast is amazing, and though the interpretations of the characters often vary considerably from the original cast's (Denis O'Hare's Guiteau is much more subtle, Micheal Cerveris' Booth is less charming), all the songs are equally enjoyable. I was unimpressed with Becky Ann Baker (Moore), who kind of ruined "Gun Song" for me- she sounded fairly off-pitch. Neil Patrick Harris, as the Balladeer, also doubles in this show as Lee Harvey Oswald, and while his voice took a bit of getting used to (he sometimes comes off as a little too eager), he really shines in "Ballad of Czolgosz", which is a difficult number anyway. The updated orchestrations are really lovely, and the extra dialogue tracks are great for fleshing out characters like Samuel Byck, who got shoddy treatment on original recording. "Something Just Broke", a song added in London and retained for this revival, is typical Sondheim, and while enjoyable I don't think it really fits in with the pacing and feel of the rest of the show. Overall, this revival really kept the integrity of the original show while adding its own flair. Versus the original recording? I say, listen to both, and make your own judgements. Both are amazing.