(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- NJCU's Center for the Arts presents Assassins across two weekends from October 24 - November 2, 2025. Our nation's most notorious assassins gather on stage to violently pursue a twisted American Dream. The musical features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and Book by John Weidman. The production is directed by Marc G. Dalio.
A multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical tour-de-force, Assassins combines Sondheim's signature blend of intelligently stunning lyrics and beautiful music with a panoramic story of our nation's culture of celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it, embodied by America's four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. Bold, original, disturbing and alarmingly funny, Assassins is perhaps the most controversial musical ever written.
Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in a one-act historical "revusical" that explores the dark side of the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, interact and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.
Performances take place Friday, October 24 at 7:30pm; Saturday, October 25 at 7:30pm; Sunday, October 26 at 7:30pm; Friday, October 31 at 7:30pm; Saturday, November 1 at 7:30pm; and Sunday, November 2 at 3:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase online. NJCU's Center for the Arts is located at 2039 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City, New Jersey.
In an email sent to the NJCU mailing list, they stated: "Given recent acts of political violence, NJCU wishes to clarify that the 1990s musical Assassins, scheduled for this fall, has been in development by The Center for the Arts at NJCU since spring 2025. The production examines difficult chapters in American history, and we approach it with care, responsibility, and respect for our community. NJCU unequivocally denounces violence in all its forms, including political violence, and hopes this work will serve as a catalyst for thoughtful reflection and dialogue."
The NJCU Center for the Arts brings the University's cultural offerings together under one creative umbrella. With New York City just across the river, the NJCU Center for the Arts is a cultural hub of North Jersey, hosting guest artists and speakers in the performing, visual, film, and literary arts, alongside student presentations. We look forward to seeing you at events on campus and in the community.
