JOHN WILKES BOOTH (1838-1865)
Actor; in the words of one critic, "a star of the first magnitude," especially
in
the South ... Brother
Edwin, however, was preeminent actor of the day ... Passionate supporter of the Confederate cause
... Concocted a plan to kidnap Abraham Lincoln and exchange his freedom for that of thousands of
Confederate prisoners of war ... Assassinated Lincoln at Ford's Theater, April 14,1865, during a
performance of Our American Cousin ... Broke his leg as he escaped ... Finally run to earth in a
Virginia tobacco barn, where he either was killed or killed himself to avoid capture ... Sent a letter to
the newspapers the day of the assassination explaining his motives; letter never published.
CHARLES GUITEAU (1841-1882)
Pursued various careers, from the law to evangelism, failing at all of them ... Published a volume of
theology, "The Truth," which was almost entirely a plagiarism ... Composed an unsolicited and barely
coherent campaign speech for Republican Presidential candidate James Garfield, which he felt was
responsible for Garfield's election; expected as a reward to be appointed Ambassador to France ...
Rebuffed, shot Garfield twice in the back, July 2,1881, as the President prepared to board a train at
the Baltimore and Potomac railroad station, Washington, D.C. ... On the morning of his execution,
composed a poem, I Am Going to the Lordy, which he recited from the gallows immediately before
he was hanged.
LEON CZOLGOSZ (1873-1901)
Son of recently arrived Polish immigrants ... Full-time laborer by age 12, first in a glass factory, later
in a wire mill ... Attended a number of Anarchist rallies and had a brief meeting with Anarchist
agitator Emma Goldman ... Assassinated President William McKinley, September 6,1901, at the
Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo ... "I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good
people, the good working people," he said. "I done my duty."
GIUSEPPE ZANGARA (1900-1933)
Immigrant bricklayer from Calabria ... Barely five feet tall ... Suffered burning pains in stomach,
which he blamed on capitalist system which forced his father to put him to work at age 6 ...
Attempted to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, February 15,1933, as Roosevelt
spoke to crowd of supporters in Miami's Bayfront Park ... Too small to see over the crowd, he
stood on a chair, which wobbled, causing him to miss Roosevelt, and instead kill Mayor Anton
Cermak of Chicago.
LEE HARVEY OSWALD (1931-1963)
Assassinated President John F Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository in
Dallas, Texas, November 22,1963.
SAMUEL BYCK (1930-1974)
Unemployed tire salesman ... Sent long, rambling tape recordings to various celebrities, among them
Jonas Salk, Senator Abraham Ribicoff and Leonard Bernstein ... Convinced that the American
political system was fundamentally corrupt, he picketed the White House, Christmas Eve 1973,
dressed in a Santa Claus suit ... Attempted to assassinate President Richard Nixon, February
22,1974, by hijacking a commercial jetliner that he intended to crash dive into the White House ...
Killed two before he himself was killed.
LYNETTE "SQUEAKY" FROMME (b. 1948)
Middle-class childhood in Los Angeles suburbs- cheerleader in high school ... Met Charles Manson
on the beach in Venice, California, 1967, and became one of his disciples; believed Manson was the
Messiah whose teachings could save mankind ... Planned to commit a crime for which she would be
arrested and put on trial; Manson would appear as a witness at the trial and preach to the world ...
Attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford, September 5,1975, as he left the Senator Hotel in
Sacramento.
SARA JANE MOORE (b. 1930)
Married five times, four children, entered and dropped out of nursing school, joined the Women's
Army Corps, became a C.P.A. ... At age 42, abandoned marriage and career to immerse herself in
counter-culture lifestyle and revolutionary politics of the day ... Recruited as informant by the F.B.I.
... In effort to reestablish her radical credentials, attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford,
September 22,1975, as he left the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.
JOHN W. HINCKLEY, JR. (b. 1955)
Son of a successful oil company executive; mother, a self-styled model homemaker ... Attended
college for seven years without graduating, moved back in with his parents ... Developed an
obsessive infatuation with movie actress Jodie Foster ... After several failed attempts to make contact
with her, determined to attract her attention by killing a prominent public figure ... Attempted to
assassinate President Ronald Reagan as he left the Washington Hilton Hotel, March 30,1981,
seriously wounding four people, including the President.
Srore by Stephen Sondheim. Book by John Wiedman.
Production Information-orginal Off Broadway Cast: Opened December 18, 1990, at Playwrights Horizons. Closed on February 16, 1991. Assassins Ran for 73 sold out performances. Produced by Playwrights Horizons. Artistic Director, Andre Bishop; Executive Director, Paul S. Daniels. Musical Theatre Program Director, Ira Weitzman.Directed by Jerry Zaks . Set Design by Loren Sherman. Costume Design by William Ivey Long.Lighting Design by Paul Gallo . Sound Design by Scott Lehrer. Hair Design by Angela Gari.Choreography by D.J. Giagni. Musical Direction by Paul Gemignani . Orchestrations by Michael Starobin
Production information -2004 Broadway Cast:
Previews began March 26, 2004 at Studio 54. Opened April 22, 2004; closed July 18 2004. Assassins ran for 26 previews and 101 performances. Produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company.Todd Haimes, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Managing Director;Julia C. Levy, Executive Director; External Affairs. Directed by Joe Mantello. Musical Direction by Paul Gemignani. Musical Staging by Jonathan Butterell. Set Design by Robert Brill. Costume Design by Susan Hilferty. Lighting Design by Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer. Sound Design by Dan Moses Schrier. Orchestrations by Michael Starobin.Orchestra Conducted by Nicholas Archer. Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Revival.
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