assassins homeTable Talk 1: The Meaning of the Musical and its Themes
When our audiences leave the theatre after a performance of ASSASSINS, what do we want them to think the "meaning" of the play is? That the assassins were a sympathetic, misunderstood group--much like us all--whose actions were despicable but whose motivations were, if not noble, at least comprehensible? That America has and will continue to survive assaults on its leaders and that the actions of the assassins ultimately add up to very little? That the American Dream is alive and well, or that the American Dream is a chimera which ultimately produces disgruntled, disaffected citizens who see no other recourse than violence? That Americans are so hungry for media attention that they will stage shocking acts of violence simply to enjoy a moment in the public eye?
Because the creators of ASSASSINS did not end the show with a conclusive, stock ending that stamps the musical with a specific meaning, it is up to our audiences to decide just exactly what the meaning of the musical is. It is our job to offer all of these intriguing possibilities without coloring any of them so strongly that they become "the" meaning of the show. Weidman and Sondheim have done a wonderful job of balancing the ideas, opening viable routes through the show, and leaving just enough ambiguity to make things fascinating.
For me, the meaning of the show is offered up in the difference between the American ideal of "the right to the pursuit of happiness," versus the all-too-American distortion "the right to happiness." The cognitive dissonance between what the American myth promises and the reality of what is truly attainable has produced a cult of violence and a vast citizenry self medicated by junk culture and chemical dependency, who confuse media attention with actual achievement. Most of the assassins were wise enough to recognize this impasse, but saw violence as the only way out.
In fact, all of the assassins suffer from some sort of impotence, unable to affect change in the world without resorting to some extreme measure, and it is not until the climax of the play ("Another National Anthem" and the Oswald scene) that they become a real force, as a collective voice.