Now playing through Sunday July 1 at The Public Theater of San Antonio’s Cellar Theatre is ‘Assassins’ and there are only four more chances to catch this intense and thought-provoking production. Upcoming showtimes are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m. but all performances are sold out. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, it is based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. Directed by George Green, this controversial musical boldly transcends time as the assassins justify their actions with wit, humor and a sense of understanding.

The setting in ‘Assassins’ is an abandoned amusement park/carnival complete with shooting gallery signs and stuffed animals. A murderous carnival shooting gallery takes center stage and appropriately features men and women who have, successfully or not, attempted to assassinate Presidents of the United States. As they are introduced, the proprietor, as a solutions to their problems, entices them to “C’mere and shoot a President.” Once they are all gathered, “Hail to the Chief” signals Abraham Lincoln’s appearance offstage and John Wilkes Booth disappears and a shot rings out. The Balladeer, a personification of the American Dream, appears and begins to tell Booth’s story. Eventually, each assassin’s story, and the reasoning behind their intentions, is revealed. While the focus is on the individuals, there is a much deeper message and the bigger question remains about what draws a person to violence. (“Something Just Broke”) It ends as the assassins gather once more at the shooting range and after they load their guns, they open fire on the audience. (“Finale: Everybody’s Got the Right”)

Cast includes Chris Berry as John Wilkes Booth, Brendan Brady as Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald, Tyles Askins as The Proprietor, Brian Hodges as Charles Guiteau, Robby Vance as Leon Czolgosz, Jacob Crisp as Guiseppe Zangara, James R Welch as John Hinckley, Jeremy Whittington as Sam Byck, Rosa Gardner as Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, Corina Zars as Sara Jane Moore and Erin Urick as Emma Goldman.

With few exceptions, like “Sweeney Todd,” musicals do not usually deal with murder and violence, but there is more to ‘Assassins’ than just gun violence. It is a disturbing look at how far some people are willing to go to achieve their own version of happiness, be it wealth, infamy or love. Chris Berry does an outstanding job bringing John Wilkes Booth to life and his presence onstage is commanding. Likewise, Rosa Gardner is excellent as Squeaky Fromme but Jeremy Whittington’s deranged portrayal of hijacker and attempted assassin Sam Byck, Santa Clause suit and all, brings the chilling factor up a notch. The lighting brilliantly changes to red when the scenes turn violent. The Cellar Theater is a small and intimate space and sometimes the action and volume can get overwhelming. Overall, ‘Assassins’ is a dark, often comedic look at crime, violence and conspiracies in America and is sure to open up a dialogue about the subject. Since it contains real people and real crimes, it is a must-see and appeals to fans of true crime stories. Due to adult themes and language, it is not suitable for all audience members