‘Everybody’s got the right to be happy… even though at times yougo to extremes.’

These are the lines with which this dark, subversive and utterly brilliant musicalbegins. Based around the gang of losers, outsiders and social misfits who shotand assassinated a string of US presidents. Sondheim and Welman take abrilliantly melodic and unflinching look at what happens to those people forwhom the American dream in all its unattainable emptiness turns into adesperate nightmare.

The show is staged by a talented group from London. Peake Productions’Edinburgh credentials stretch back ten years to their haunting 2008 production ofthe Kander and Ebb musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. Then known as justjohn,they followed this in 2009 with a smash-hit staging of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! MauryYeston’s Nine followed in 2010. After a break of five years, they returned with avengeance in 2015 with a deliciously dark version of Sweeney Todd, which theDaily Express awarded five stars and described as ‘a cut above the rest.’ Merrilywe roll along played C venues in 2016; Assassins concludes the Sondheimtrilogy.

Assassins premiered Off-Broadway at Playwright’s Horizons in 1991. It was thetime of the first gulf war and in the end the time just wasn’t right to take toBroadway a musical that refuses to view American society through rose-colouredspectacles. A planned 2001 revival fizzled out in the aftermath of 9-11. It wasn’tuntil 2006 that the show finally arrived in style at Studio 54 with a scorchingproduction starring Neil Patrick Harris. This is the script whichare bringing to Edinburgh. It includes the chilling song Something Just Broke, inwhich the assassins attempt to explain themselves.

The show features an outstanding cast of student acting talent. Justjohn alumniare currently working in production for Bill Kenwight Ltd, conducting in Bostonand Oxford, appearing on stage for the RSC, National Theatre of Scotland andtouring the UK in a brand new staging of Fame. The Assassins cast includesfuture students at Guildford School of Acting and a member of the NationalYouth Theatre. Supported by a tight, professional led seven piece band, Assassinsis a high quality piece of musical theatre, which contains some of Sondheim’smost accessible music.

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Peake Productions in association withEltham CollegeAssassinsby Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman

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White

07921634718

07921634718

jpw@eltham-college.org.uk

Joe

Eltham College

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Joe White at Eltham College on 07921634718 /jpw@eltham-college.org.uk

ten word blurbSondheim’s politically charged musical chronicalling America’s presidentialassasination attempts.twenty word blurbSondheim’s politically charged musical depicting the misfit characters whohave attempted to assassinate Presidents of the United States.

fringe programme 40-word blurbFollowing sell-out runs of Oliver! and Sweeney Todd, Eltham College returnwith a dynamic and daring production of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, apolitically charged musical depicting the misfit characters who haveattempted to assassinate Presidents of the United States.fringe web blurbReturning to Edinburgh, following acclaimed sell-out runs of Sweeney Todd,Oliver! and Merrily We Roll Along, Peake Productions and Eltham Collegepresent the Sondheim musical Assassins. This daringly brave and dynamicproduction explores the nine misfit characters who have tried to assassinatePresidents of the United States. A darkly humorous and powerful musicalrevue, spectacular in its range of musical styles, Assassins asks timelyquestions about the true meaning of the American Dream in a country that

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Listings InformationVenue C, Adam House, Chambers Street, EH1 1HR, venue 34Dates 4-10 AugTime 12:00 (1hr40)Ticket prices £10.50-£11.50 / concessions £8.50-£9.50 / under 18s £6.50-£7.50C venues box office 0131 581 5555 / www.CtheFestival.com/2018/assassinsFringe box office 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com

KA 4/08

‘Everybody’s got the right to be happy… even though at times yougo to extremes.’

These are the lines with which this dark, subversive and utterly brilliant musicalbegins. Based around the gang of losers, outsiders and social misfits who shotand assassinated a string of US presidents. Sondheim and Welman take abrilliantly melodic and unflinching look at what happens to those people forwhom the American dream in all its unattainable emptiness turns into adesperate nightmare.

The show is staged by a talented group from London. Peake Productions’Edinburgh credentials stretch back ten years to their haunting 2008 production ofthe Kander and Ebb musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. Then known as justjohn,they followed this in 2009 with a smash-hit staging of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! MauryYeston’s Nine followed in 2010. After a break of five years, they returned with avengeance in 2015 with a deliciously dark version of Sweeney Todd, which theDaily Express awarded five stars and described as ‘a cut above the rest.’ Merrilywe roll along played C venues in 2016; Assassins concludes the Sondheimtrilogy.

Assassins premiered Off-Broadway at Playwright’s Horizons in 1991. It was thetime of the first gulf war and in the end the time just wasn’t right to take toBroadway a musical that refuses to view American society through rose-colouredspectacles. A planned 2001 revival fizzled out in the aftermath of 9-11. It wasn’tuntil 2006 that the show finally arrived in style at Studio 54 with a scorchingproduction starring Neil Patrick Harris. This is the script whichare bringing to Edinburgh. It includes the chilling song Something Just Broke, inwhich the assassins attempt to explain themselves.

The show features an outstanding cast of student acting talent. Justjohn alumniare currently working in production for Bill Kenwight Ltd, conducting in Bostonand Oxford, appearing on stage for the RSC, National Theatre of Scotland andtouring the UK in a brand new staging of Fame. The Assassins cast includesfuture students at Guildford School of Acting and a member of the NationalYouth Theatre. Supported by a tight, professional led seven piece band, Assassinsis a high quality piece of musical theatre, which contains some of Sondheim’smost accessible music.

SENT 24/07 from company

“Everybody’s got the right to be happy….even though at times you go toextremes.”

These are the lines with which this dark, subversive and utterly brilliantSondheim musical begins. Based around the gang of losers, outsiders andsocial misfits who shot and assassinated a string of US Presidents, Sondheimand Weidman take a brilliantly melodic and unflinching look at what happensto those people for whom the American dream in all its unattainableemptiness turns into a desperate nightmare.

The show is staged by a talented group from London. Peake Productions’Edinburgh credentials stretch back ten years to their haunting 2008 productionof the Kander and Ebb musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. Then known asjustjohn, they followed this in 2009 with a smash-hit staging of Lionel Bart’sOliver! Maury Yeston’s Nine followed in 2010. After a break of five years, theyreturned with a vengeance in 2015 with a deliciously dark version of SweeneyTodd, which the Daily Express awarded five stars and described as “a cut abovethe rest”. Merrily we roll along played C Venues in 2016; Assassins concludesthe Sondheim trilogy.

Assassins premiered Off-Broadway at Playwright’s Horizons in 1991. It was thetime of the first gulf war and in the end the time just wasn’t right to take toBroadway a musical that refuses to view American society throughrose-coloured spectacles. A planned 2001 revival fizzled out in the aftermathof 9-11. It wasn’t until 2006 that the show finally arrived in style at Studio 54with a scorching production starring Neil Patrick Harris. This is the script whichPeake Productions are bringing to Edinburgh. It includes the chilling songSomething just broke as the assassins’ attempt to explain themselves.

The show features an outstanding cast of student acting talent. Justjohnalumni are currently working in production for Bill Kenwight Ltd, conductingin Boston and Oxford, appearing on stage for the RSC, National Theatre ofScotland and touring the UK in a brand new staging of Fame. The Assassinscast includes future students at Guildford School of Acting and a member ofthe National Youth Theatre. Supported by a tight, professionally-led sevenpiece band, Assassins is a high quality piece of musical theatre which containssome of Sondheim’s most accessible music.

What lingers is the sadness which pervades the lives of the assassins, some ofwhom are alive, well and at liberty. Their stories must be told.

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sells its citizens hope, and dreams which cannot be realised, and makes it soeasy to buy a gun.For further information, images and interview availability please contact Joe White at Eltham

College on 07921634718 / jpw@eltham-college.org.ukor the C venues press office on 0131 581 5550 / press@cvenues.com