Department of Theatre and Dance to Present "Assassins"

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Department of Theatre and Dance will present a remount of Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins," to be performed Sept. 20-23 in the Black Box Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and based on the book by John Weidman, times and places collide on stage as Assassins tackle the dark side of American politics, American culture and the American Dream. The inner motives of nine people who tried (some successfully) to kill the U.S. President are revealed using American musical styles from Civil War ballads to contemporary pop songs.

Composer-lyricist Stephen Joshua Sondheim has been writing American musical theater for four decades and is considered one of the finest living composers for show scores that also include "Passion," "Into the Woods," "Sweeney Todd," "Pacific Overtures," "A Little Night Music," "Company" and "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum," as well as lyrics for "Gypsy" and "West Side Story."

"Assassins" will be directed by Gerald Finnegan, with choreography by Lynne Kurdziel-Formato and musical direction by Michael Hake. Performances will be presented Sept. 20 at 8 p.m., Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. and Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. The performance on Sept. 22 is part of UB's "Pan-Amania" weekend.

Tickets are $12 for the general public and $5 for UB students and seniors, and may be purchased from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday at the Center for the Arts Box Office. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's and Movies Plus. To charge tickets call 852-5000. In Canada, call 416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For general information call 645-ARTS.