Broadway premiere of Assassins postponed

Citing the themes of the play, the authors of Assassins have announced that the musical's Broadway premiere, scheduled for November 1, has been postponed, according to Variety. Out composer Stephen Sondheim and writer John Weidman issued the following joint statement: "Assassins is a show which asks audiences to think critically about various aspects of the American experience. In light of Tuesday's murderous assault on our nation and on the most fundamental things in which we all believe, we, the Roundabout [Theatre Co.], and director Joe Mantello believe this is not an appropriate time to present a show which makes such a demand." The show portrays presidential assassins and would-be assassins, including John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr., and Samuel Byck--who, ironically, planned to hijack a 747 and crash it into the White House in an attempt to kill Richard Nixon. Assassins was first presented at Playwrights Horizons in January 1991 and has been performed regionally and internationally over the ensuing decade. The Roundabout production, which would have opened at the Music Box Theatre, would have marked the play's Broadway debut.