On March 27, 2025, “Assassins” the musical by Stephen Sondheim opened at NCC.
Olivia Wegner, ‘25, has only done a handful of theater shows in the past. Most recently, she understudied for two roles in “this is not the reunion” at NCC.
She has always had a love for performing and smaller roles never stopped her from achieving her dreams. Though this semester, she got one of the biggest roles in the musical.
Wegner, who played John Wilkes Booth in “Assassins“, said that this was the biggest role she has ever had. While having a big role is amazing, Wegner said that the community of the cast and crew was her favorite part.
“The rehearsals themselves were great, but I really enjoyed seeing everybody get along and seeing a progression of friendships developing. It was really neat,” Wegner said.
Assassins and its controversies
“Assassins” by Stephen Sondheim premiered on Oct. 18, 1990 off-Broadway. The show received heavy criticism upon its debut. A Los Angeles Times review from 1992 stated that the show featured no character, dramatic, or emotional development. Although, years later, in 2004, when it made its Broadway debut, the musical won five Tony Awards.
Another critique of the show is the use of the N-word by character John Wilkes Booth. Recently, in March of this year, Northwestern University had to cancel their last two shows of the musical due to the student body protesting the usage of the word.
While the word was in the script of the show used by NCC, it was immediately cut upon receiving it.
“In our rendition of the show, instead of saying the slur, I scream in its place, and I fall to the ground,” Wegner, said.
Playing an assassin
The show features 11 characters. Each of the main characters of the show is a person in U.S. history that has either assassinated or attempted to assassinate a president. Most infamous of which are John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald.
Three of the main characters, though, are still alive to this day. Sara Jane Moore, Lynette Fromme and John Hinckley Jr. were all alive at the time of the show’s debut.
Siobhan McNulty, ‘25, played Sara Jane Moore, the woman who attempted to assassinate U.S. president Gerald Ford. She turned 95 years old this Feb. McNulty said that it was very fascinating to play a character that is based on a real person and is still alive.
“I wanted to do some justice to her, but I also understood this is a very different character, they portray her in a very different way. There are only two female assassins, and they are both portrayed as kind of dumb,” McNulty said.
There is a lot to be said about doing “Assassins” in today’s political climate. With the divisiveness of American politics and an uncertainty for tomorrow, McNulty believes that “Assassins” the musical has an important story to tell.
“Especially with everything that is going on post-election, it is so important to have pieces that take a nuanced and unflinching look at where we are as a country, where we’ve been, and where we’re going,” McNulty said.
