History YMMV / Assassins

And it didn't make them listen and they never said they're sorry."

* EvilIsSexy: "Johnny Booth was a handsome devil."

* WTHCastingAgency: Brandon Uranowitz as Czolgosz. His talent wasn't in question, with many surprised by the casting still expecting him to do a good job. Still, the idea of an intimidating bass-baritone character typically played by tall men now being portrayed by a short tenor most famous for playing the dorky Mendel in ''Theatre/{{Falsettos}}'' proved strange to many. The fact that Uranowitz's casting was announced alongside Will Swenson playing Guiteau even caused some to believe that the actors' roles were mixed up, as Swenson is a more obvious Czolgosz than Uranowitz, who would seem more at home as Guiteau. When people saw his work though, [[AbilityOverAppearance he earned excellent notices]], and was praised for being quite unsettling despite his diminutive stature.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Presidential. Assassins. Comedy. Musical. Though it eventually found it's audience.

** "Something Just Broke". Some hate the number, even if they think it's a good piece of music on it's own, as they believe the show should stay focused on the assassins and that we don't need to experience normal people's suffering to realize that the main characters are bad people. On the other side, fans of the song say that it absolutely is necessary, believing that you can't spend all this time showing the crimes of the assassins without showing the heartbreak and fallout of the common man in response, and that the song is what truly drives home just how dangerous these men and women are. The fact that the song wasn't in the original off-Broadway production (it was written for the 1992 London premiere) and was originally optional had been brought up by the former camp, while the latter camp points to the song now being legally uncuttable and the writing team standing by it (Sondheim wrote that "it is not only necessary, it is essential.")

* NightmareFuel:
** The end of Lee Harvey Oswald's scene, when all the assassins surround him singing about how much they admire him while he loads his rifle and prepares to shoot Kennedy. The LyricalDissonance and the menacing sound of the melody make it especially creepy.
** If done with a strong cast of actors and direction, the whole play is nightmare-inducing because you sympathize with people who have seriously hurt/killed others because they didn't get what they wanted.
** When performed right, Zangara's parts of "How I Saved Roosevelt" can be terrifying.
** Guiteau's attempt to force a kiss on Sara Jane Moore reveals a much more threatening side to him when he doesn't get what he wants.
** Denis O'Hare's screaming of "I SHALL BE REMEMBERED!" towards the end of the Ballad of Guiteau. Sure, it's funny at first when he talks about "promoting the sale of my book," but suddenly, the darker, psychotic side of his personality shines through.
** Booth shooting himself in the head near the end of the Ballad of Booth. Some productions that turn off the lights on him, but the Broadway one did nothing to hide Michael Cerveris flopping to the ground lifelessly.

-->Every now and then the country goes a little wrong\\

-->'''Balladeer:''' Listen to the stories, hear it in the songs:\\
Angry men don't write the rules, and guns don't right the wrongs.
-->Hurts a while, but soon the country's back where it belongs.

--> '''Balladeer''': Yes, you made a little moment and you stirred a little mud / But it didn't fix the stomach and you've drunk your final Bud / And it didn't help the workers and it didn't heal the country / And it didn't make them listen / And they never said they're sorry."

* WTHCastingAgency: Brandon Uranowitz as Czolgosz. His talent wasn't in question, with many surprised by the casting still expecting him to do a good job. Still, the idea of an intimidating bass-baritone character typically played by tall men now being portrayed by a short tenor most famous for playing the dorky Mendel in ''{{Theatre/Falsettos}}'' proved strange to many. The fact that Uranowitz's casting was announced alongside Will Swenson playing Guiteau even caused some to believe that the actors' roles were mixed up, as Swenson is a more obvious Czolgosz than Uranowitz, who would seem more at home as Guiteau. When people saw his work though, [[AbilityOverAppearance he earned excellent notices]], and was praised for being quite unsettling despite his diminutive stature.