This darkly satirical musical reframes American history through the eyes of those who attempted – successfully or not – to kill US presidents. Structured as a surreal carnival sideshow, the piece weaponises American musical traditions – vaudeville, folk ballads, barbershop quartets, patriotic Sousa-style marches and Bacharach pop – to undercut the myth of the “American Dream,” exposing how frustration, alienation and entitlement can curdle into violence.

Genres

Cast

Becky Ann Baker

Sara Jane Moore

James Barbour

Leon Czolgosz

Mario Cantone

Samuel Byck

Michael Cerveris

John Wilkes Booth

Mary Catherine Garrison

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme

Alexander Gemignani

John Hinckley Jr.

Neil Patrick Harris

The Balladeer / Lee Harvey Oswald

Marc Kudisch

The Proprietor

Denis O'Hare

Charles Guiteau

Kendra Kassebaum

Ensemble

Anne L. Nathan

Emma Goldman / Ensemble