Assassins set to finally blow away Broadway in 2004

Playbill.com reports that Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's acclaimed musical Assassins is set to finally make its Broadway debut in 2004. The show was originally presented at Playwrights' Horizon in 1990, but it never made the jump to Broadway because the show's themes seemed inappropriate during the first Gulf War, and a scheduled Broadway premiere in November 2001 was also scuttled because of the September 11 attacks. Now, however, Roundabout Theatre Company has announced that previews for Assassins will begin March 19 in Studio 54 with an opening date of April 22. Neil Patrick Harris will lead the ensemble in the roles of the Balladeer and Lee Harvey Oswald. Out actor Mario Cantone (Sex and the City) is set to play Samuel Byck, who attempted to kill Richard Nixon, and Michael Cerveris (Tommy, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) will play John Wilkes Booth. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale February 23.