What do you think?
Rate this book
Assassins
“Nothing quite prepares you for the disturbing brilliance of Assassins .” –David Richards, The New York Times “Dark, demented humor, as horrifying as it is hilarious.” –Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press “Intelligent and thrilling musical theatre. Dazzling in its originality.” –Ken Mandelbaum, Theaterweek Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking achievements in musical theatre attain a new level of audacity and accomplishment in his latest creation, Assassins . Evoking a fraternity of Presidential assassins and would-be assassins across a hundred years of our history (including John Wilkes Booth, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, John Hinckley and Lee Harvey Oswald), he and collaborator John Weidman examine success, failure and the questionable drive for power and celebrity in American society. The result is an unusually imaginative and utterly idiosyncratic entertainment compounded equally of insight, pleasure, and provocation. Assassins is an important and permanent addition to the American stage.
107 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1991
6 people are currently reading
1417 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Sondheim
370 books263 followersStephen Joshua Sondheim was an American musical and film composer and lyricist, winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards (seven, more than any other composer), multiple Grammy Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize. He has been described as the Titan of the American Musical.
His most famous scores include (as composer/lyricist) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins, as well as the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy. He was president of the Dramatists Guild from 1973 to 1981.
His most famous scores include (as composer/lyricist) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins, as well as the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy. He was president of the Dramatists Guild from 1973 to 1981.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
November 10, 2024
Sometimes I think about how this was Sondheim’s favorite of his shows and feel incredibly smug about how it’s my favorite too. Someday I’ll write comprehensive and well-thought-out reviews for every Sondheim show, but today is not that day. Today is just one of those days where I’m feeling down (I hasten to add that this is due to the fact that I have depression and not current events lmao, don’t get it twisted) and so I returned to my favorite musical to cheer myself up. Well, as much as Assassins can cheer anyone up. Which is a surprising amount bc it is a dark comedy after all. Anyways the Leonard Bernstein monologue will always be my go-to audition monologue, I love it so much.
I made a vow to only add this as a reread when I actually physically reread it bc otherwise I would have read it like 20 times already with how much I listen to the score.
As you can probably glean from my updates, Assassins is one of my favorite musicals--I would possibly even consider it (and by it, I mean the 2004 revival) my favorite if really pressed since it lacks the slower moments that Bandstand (my other favorite) can sometimes have. In fact, the book for Assassins is very sharp, in both its comedy and its commentary. It's an incredibly dark comedy with a strong thematic throughline about the American Dream, American gun culture, and the forces that push people to commit the acts that our main characters have--characters who manage to be sympathetic and charming and funny despite their crimes.
And, of course, the music slaps.
There's not much to say about Assassins that I haven't already said, expect for the fact that it pretty much single-handedly got me back into musical theatre, into Stephen Sondheim's works (which has also led to me finally listening to Company, which I also adore) and that it's the first show that I've listened to that's made me go "I want to direct this". So yeah. If I ever direct a show, Assassins is to blame. Or credit. I guess I'll decide that bit later.
Also I'm just glad to have the Byck monologues on-hand so I can see about getting one down for auditions--if I have the guts to do one of them.
UPDATE: okay nobody cares but having now listened to all three available recordings, my very professional very definitive ranking is that the 2004 is still in the lead, but 2022 has a better take on Something Just Broke. 1990 I still am not a huge fan of, but I still will listen to it. As time goes on I’m souring on the 2022 recording. I think everyone sounds a little too same-y, to the point where I can’t pick them apart in Another National Anthem (which, to me, is an issue!). Part of it is definitely because the 2004 recording was my first and set my interpretation of the show but for me nothing will ever beat Mario Cantone’s take on Byck or Denis O’Hare’s take on Guiteau or Alexander Gemignani as Hinckley because they captured the characters so well. The only one who comes close is Ethan Slater as The Balladeer/ , though I also like Brandon Uranowitz as Czolgosz. I also HATE how it was marketed as “look, it shows how people can do stuff like January 6th!” when imo the only assassin who is similar to the fascists who stormed the Capital is John Wilkes Booth. Czolgosz was an anarchist ffs! To me, a man with severe psychosis shooting someone over a counselship his delusions led him to believing he deserved is not cut from the same cloth as doing an insurrection because your favorite candidate lost, you know? I just feel like it flattens the nuance of the show and I fullheartedly believe it was marketed that way so people wouldn’t be uncomfortable about watching the presidential murder musical when guess what! The point of the show is to make you uncomfortable, and I think it hits harder now than it has before.
Also, the staging. Barebones staging works alright in some shows but I really don’t think Assassins is one of them—for me, the chaotic carnival background always represented American consumerism culture—and the stripped-down instrumentals rob it of its grandiose feel in songs like Another National Anthem and How I Saved Roosevelt. All that said, it’s still a solid recording. Just not the best one.
I made a vow to only add this as a reread when I actually physically reread it bc otherwise I would have read it like 20 times already with how much I listen to the score.
As you can probably glean from my updates, Assassins is one of my favorite musicals--I would possibly even consider it (and by it, I mean the 2004 revival) my favorite if really pressed since it lacks the slower moments that Bandstand (my other favorite) can sometimes have. In fact, the book for Assassins is very sharp, in both its comedy and its commentary. It's an incredibly dark comedy with a strong thematic throughline about the American Dream, American gun culture, and the forces that push people to commit the acts that our main characters have--characters who manage to be sympathetic and charming and funny despite their crimes.
And, of course, the music slaps.
There's not much to say about Assassins that I haven't already said, expect for the fact that it pretty much single-handedly got me back into musical theatre, into Stephen Sondheim's works (which has also led to me finally listening to Company, which I also adore) and that it's the first show that I've listened to that's made me go "I want to direct this". So yeah. If I ever direct a show, Assassins is to blame. Or credit. I guess I'll decide that bit later.
Also I'm just glad to have the Byck monologues on-hand so I can see about getting one down for auditions--if I have the guts to do one of them.
UPDATE: okay nobody cares but having now listened to all three available recordings, my very professional very definitive ranking is that the 2004 is still in the lead, but 2022 has a better take on Something Just Broke. 1990 I still am not a huge fan of, but I still will listen to it. As time goes on I’m souring on the 2022 recording. I think everyone sounds a little too same-y, to the point where I can’t pick them apart in Another National Anthem (which, to me, is an issue!). Part of it is definitely because the 2004 recording was my first and set my interpretation of the show but for me nothing will ever beat Mario Cantone’s take on Byck or Denis O’Hare’s take on Guiteau or Alexander Gemignani as Hinckley because they captured the characters so well. The only one who comes close is Ethan Slater as The Balladeer/ , though I also like Brandon Uranowitz as Czolgosz. I also HATE how it was marketed as “look, it shows how people can do stuff like January 6th!” when imo the only assassin who is similar to the fascists who stormed the Capital is John Wilkes Booth. Czolgosz was an anarchist ffs! To me, a man with severe psychosis shooting someone over a counselship his delusions led him to believing he deserved is not cut from the same cloth as doing an insurrection because your favorite candidate lost, you know? I just feel like it flattens the nuance of the show and I fullheartedly believe it was marketed that way so people wouldn’t be uncomfortable about watching the presidential murder musical when guess what! The point of the show is to make you uncomfortable, and I think it hits harder now than it has before.
Also, the staging. Barebones staging works alright in some shows but I really don’t think Assassins is one of them—for me, the chaotic carnival background always represented American consumerism culture—and the stripped-down instrumentals rob it of its grandiose feel in songs like Another National Anthem and How I Saved Roosevelt. All that said, it’s still a solid recording. Just not the best one.
June 10, 2015
How fortuitous that I read this and listened to the score this close to the next presidential race!
Seriously, this is the one of the great comments on the American need for glory and fame/success.
Seriously, this is the one of the great comments on the American need for glory and fame/success.
February 16, 2024
I have always loved the morbid topic and have been curious to see the show but it’s not one that frequently plays (in the UK anyway) so reading this alongside the soundtrack was great fun!
January 16, 2008
It's not very often that a musical is written to explore presidential assassins & would-be assassins. Sondheim's piece is thought-provoking & brilliant. I recommend getting a copy of either cast recording of Assassins to accompany reading the script. Both are marvelous.
April 15, 2022
a chilling read of the background of assassins or would-be-assassins on American Presidents. depicting the event or the backgrounds of this motley crew, it tells it with the twist of humanizing them more than most retellings do.
creative in a crazy sense. as the book’s blurb says, Sondheim and Weidmann “examine success, failure and the questionable drive for power and celebrity in American society.”
the best acts are those with Byck and Scene 16.
it being a musical, i wish i could see live. but i see there was a revival in 2004 and even this year 2022?! maybe i will be able to see it live or at least listen to the cast recordings.
creative in a crazy sense. as the book’s blurb says, Sondheim and Weidmann “examine success, failure and the questionable drive for power and celebrity in American society.”
the best acts are those with Byck and Scene 16.
it being a musical, i wish i could see live. but i see there was a revival in 2004 and even this year 2022?! maybe i will be able to see it live or at least listen to the cast recordings.
April 9, 2023
A brilliant musical. I’ve listened to it dozens of times and have seen productions in London and NYC, but this is the first time I’ve ever sat down to read it. Completely fascinating.
May 22, 2011
I rarely give five stars to anything, and to be honest, I hesitate doing so here. Like many of Sondheim's works, I admire Assassins more than I actually enjoyed it. But the book by John Weidman (with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) manages to do something incredible: create a cast of characters that is incredibly human and relatable about nine successful and would-be assassins of US presidents.
Think about the difficulty of that task--a plot that spans centuries and cultures; fictional scenes in which real historical people interact; the very fact that these historical people are villains, and how do you make them relatable--an amazing storytelling feat even from only a technical point of view. By some incredible magic trick of language, Weidman and Sondheim craft murderers that are disturbingly sympathetic.
As Andre Bishop writes in the preface for this edition of the book, "seeing America through the stories of its villains, instead of its heroes, [is] an unsettling and unusual experience."
Unworthy of Your Love is the best song on the soundtrack, one that I can easily listen to over and over again, but Sondheim's songs are rarely the most listened-to in my music library. That's just not what they are going for, and the entire soundtrack is solid.
Think about the difficulty of that task--a plot that spans centuries and cultures; fictional scenes in which real historical people interact; the very fact that these historical people are villains, and how do you make them relatable--an amazing storytelling feat even from only a technical point of view. By some incredible magic trick of language, Weidman and Sondheim craft murderers that are disturbingly sympathetic.
As Andre Bishop writes in the preface for this edition of the book, "seeing America through the stories of its villains, instead of its heroes, [is] an unsettling and unusual experience."
Unworthy of Your Love is the best song on the soundtrack, one that I can easily listen to over and over again, but Sondheim's songs are rarely the most listened-to in my music library. That's just not what they are going for, and the entire soundtrack is solid.
February 20, 2013
For the longest time, my relationship with this piece was purely through the score. And what an extraordinary score it is. Yes, the book doesn't quite do the score the justice it deserves, but it's still pretty good, and when you put them together - GEEZ LOUISE. John Wilkes Booth, Leon Czolgosz and Samuel Byck get very strong (fictional) interpretations here with the text they're given. Bravo.
April 13, 2025
immediately after i first read/listened to this, i put it on my “dream roles” shelf. almost exactly a year later, i got to play sara jane moore in a production. someday i might have more words, but for now, it’s enough to simply say i adore this show. it changed my life.
July 1, 2009
Love it to death.... hmmm.
May 22, 2019
That was fucking bonkers. But I loved it
"Where is my fucking prize?"
"Where is my fucking prize?"
November 15, 2022
Weidman’s book is SNL-ish, thin, and detracts from the power of Sondheim’s masterpiece. Stage this as an oratorio instead.
June 30, 2025
Started listening to the score recently so I thought it was time to read the script. This is such a genius musical that really doesn’t pull any punches. Sondheim and Weidman are on another level with this one.
December 18, 2017
Sondheim is top notch here, and Weidman's book is just as strong. I'd listened to it hundreds of times but still haven't seen a live production, so I decided it was time to read the book. It's a fascinating study of America's historical (and contemporary) love of the gun, of how it is sadly used as a way out of obscurity for the forgotten and cast aside. Even more sadly, it's probably even more relevant now than it was when it first came out.
I was reading this and thinking about whether or not my theater could produce this work in Williamsburg, Virginia. It has so much to say, but could the community where John Hinckley lives take it? In this awful moment in American history, where we would apparently rather tolerate five or six mass shootings every week than make any attempt to limit the access of madmen to guns, can we expect any live audience to take this insightful work, and not fear that we've encouraged some lost soul in the audience to join the shooting gallery?
I don't have any great answers. It's marvelous theater, and a show I would definitely like to perform in some day, but it's not for the faint of heart. Pair it with Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation, Candace Millard's Destiny of the Republic, and Don Delillo's Libra for a full study of artful statements about American assassins.
I was reading this and thinking about whether or not my theater could produce this work in Williamsburg, Virginia. It has so much to say, but could the community where John Hinckley lives take it? In this awful moment in American history, where we would apparently rather tolerate five or six mass shootings every week than make any attempt to limit the access of madmen to guns, can we expect any live audience to take this insightful work, and not fear that we've encouraged some lost soul in the audience to join the shooting gallery?
I don't have any great answers. It's marvelous theater, and a show I would definitely like to perform in some day, but it's not for the faint of heart. Pair it with Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation, Candace Millard's Destiny of the Republic, and Don Delillo's Libra for a full study of artful statements about American assassins.
December 29, 2022
Bought this as a Christmas present for myself, and it’s the best gift I received. This is my favorite of Sondheim’s works(which is a very high praise), and I feel like a lot more people need to see/listen/read it. Assassins is a hilarious, dark character study of America’s villains-some infamous and others relatively forgotten to time. Watching these desolate and angry people interacting with each other in a carnival/bar scenario as they do their best to assassinate the president and win a prize is weirdly hilarious. The script by itself tells a loosely connected story of nine(of the many) people that have attempted to kill a president for one reason or another in a way that does not sympathize with these people, but listen to their reasoning in order to see the underlying problems of the country that continue to breed a collective of “madmen” that are angry enough to commit the highest act of treason. It’s the best kind of patriotic-the kind that doesn’t kiss the ground that America walks, but demands for it to change for the better. To make a future where this tradition of murder is put to rest.
October 30, 2017
I saw Assassins at the local university a few years after it was written. I had been drawn to reading about the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy since a young (some may say too young) age, and I was fascinated at this strange confluence of successful and unsuccessful assassins set to music. Reading the script many years after first seeing the show and becoming familiar with its score, I continue to be fascinated and intrigued by its construct and somewhat alarmed by how "fresh" it seems more than 25 years after its debut. As a lover of U.S. history and, particularly, our presidents, I'm not bothered by the dramatic liberties the piece takes with historical fact because it is more about the human element of what drove these individuals to a heinous act. This show doesn't glorify assassins anymore than Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson does of its protagonist. Further, it demonstrates how powerful theater can be, even on the page.
February 1, 2016
Few musicals are as chilling as this one. Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman build a compelling dark comedy around the foibles and neuroses of American political assassins, whether idealistic (Leon Czolgosz), self-serving (Charles Guiteau), grandiose (John Wilkes Booth) or simply crazy (Sam Byck, Squeaky Fromme). Their imaginary interactions and real-world crimes are explored, guided by the voice of the American dream (The Balladeer) and the voice of dissatisfaction and violent dissent (The Proprietor). And then, in the final scene, the comedy falls away, as this legacy of violence is passed on to Lee Harvey Oswald, arguably the most notorious assassin since Booth. In today's era of increased gun violence and political unrest, this musical is sadly more timely than ever.
May 24, 2016
Assassins is my favorite Sondheim musical, though I've never seen it staged--so this rating is for the book of the play. The songs are funny, harrowing, and heartbreaking--sometimes all three. "The Ballad of Booth," "Gun Song," "Another National Anthem," "Everybody's Got the Right," and the entire Oswald section are riveting. I thought the non-musical rest would be as good, but the scene of the Ford assassins is rather silly and the Nixon hijacker rather annoying. Still, the overall meaning is strong and still (as always) timely:
Guiteau: What a wonder is a gun!
What a versatile invention.
First of all when you've a gun--
He points it out front,slowly panning over the audience.
Everybody pays attention.
July 4, 2020
really uncomfortable & strange but moving? it’s like you’re chilling in a washing machine, erratically twisting & turning n shit, having a good time but also like, i’m inside of a fucking washing machine and drowning rn?? i dont really know what’s going on, just shitty people vibing in purgatory???? lyrically it hits so different, ur empathizing with the characters, all romanticized and likable, but then OOOP abruptly interrupted in jarring horrific/depressing/comedic ways bc they’re BAD PEOPLE !!! like its very intentional, but still a fuckin roller coaster 👁👄👁 A Good Time Thanks For The Good Times Uncle Sondheim xoxo
August 19, 2012
Sondheim turns what could have been "School House Rock Presents The Presidential Assassins" into an examination of The American Dream and its limitations. Assassins probably contains the most diverse array of musical styles in a single show Sondheim has used including Revolutionary era piccolo and drum, a folksy acoustic guitar love ballad unlike anything I've ever heard Sondheim write, and the grand, punctuated Golden Age Broadway sound. This pastiche meshes together a history of disillusionment, broken promises, and the need to assert one's existence at whatever cost.
August 14, 2016
I can't decide if reading and listening to Sondheim's ode to presidential killings the same week as Trump makes his 2nd Amendment solution to HRC comment is poorly timed or not. It did feel a little uncomfortable driving downtown with the windows down on a hot summer day while John Wilkes Booth trills "Kill the president!"
But the psychological prodding of each character is well researched and interesting, if uncomfortable. And the bit at the end where John Wilkes Booth is manipulating Lee Harvey Oswald into killing Kennedy instead of himself is chilling.
Worth a listen, if nothing else.
But the psychological prodding of each character is well researched and interesting, if uncomfortable. And the bit at the end where John Wilkes Booth is manipulating Lee Harvey Oswald into killing Kennedy instead of himself is chilling.
Worth a listen, if nothing else.
January 14, 2009
One of my favorite musicals, Assassins is also one of the most deeply fucked up pieces of fiction I've ever encountered. Assassins focuses on the exclusive club of the would-be assassins of presidents - those who succeeded and those who did not. Each of the songs is incredibly compelling, musically speaking, and varying levels of incredibly disturbing, culminating with what seems to be a sweet love duet, until you remember it's John Hinckley Jr. and Squeaky Fromme singing.
January 2, 2018
This is fascinating in the way it examines the motivations and reasons for successful and attempted assassinations.
The book doesn't quite fit the momentum of the score, but remains itself a brilliant book.
The book doesn't quite fit the momentum of the score, but remains itself a brilliant book.
June 10, 2008
One of the 5 "Greatest Creations of Mankind"
It speaks volumes about American culture and theatre.
Sondheim and Weidman are a deadly combination.
HAR. HAR. HAR.
It speaks volumes about American culture and theatre.
Sondheim and Weidman are a deadly combination.
HAR. HAR. HAR.
September 15, 2009
I forgot how much I *love* this piece.
*thinking*thinking*thinking*
*thinking*thinking*thinking*
May 17, 2012
I love this musical. The scene with Lee, was one of the best scenes I have ever read in a libretto.
May 1, 2014
I think this is by far the strongest book of all of Sondheim's musicals.
March 22, 2015
Love love love this script! My favourite Sondheim musical!
March 18, 2015
I blooming love this musical and having the book is just ugggghhhh it' so good!
August 17, 2015
Perhaps my favorite musical, and if you love it, it's fun to read the libretto.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews