Tales of Assassination in Death by Lightning and Archduke

In the last week, I saw two works that dealt with similar issues, so it seemed fitting to combine them.

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

The prologue of this Netflix miniseries asks, “Who the f-ck is Charles Guiteau?” The short answer is that he’s a presidential assassin, but there’s much more to the story.

There are actually two protagonists on this show. The first is James Garfield, a Civil War general and Ohio congressman who became the surprise presidential nominee at the 1880 Republican National Convention after making a fiery speech.

The second, more interesting, one is Guiteau, who desperately wants access to the corridors of power but gets rejected at every turn. He sees an opportunity for greatness by attaching himself to Garfield, but when he fails, he sees no choice but to kill the president.

Director Matt Ross and writer Mike Makowsky (whose Bad Education is also worth checking out) make a meal out of this material. The political backroom dealings are sadly relevant to today, while the aftermath of the assassination is vivid and disturbing.

Both leading men are also excellent. Michael Shannon shows Garfield as a paragon of decency in a world of machine politics.

As Guiteau, Matthew Macfadyen is part opportunistic, part delusional. In either mode, he’s a pleasure to watch.

Among the supporting cast, Nick Offerman excels as Chester Arthur, the recently widowed and often drunk vice president. He’s responsible for the show’s moments of comedy, as in the scene where Arthur outlines the reasons why Garfield should fire him.

As First Lady Lucretia Garfield, Betty Gilpin gets a chance to shine when she confronts Arthur and Guiteau in the final episode. She tells the latter, “I will erase you.”

The series offers a lot of food for thought, especially paired with a play I saw the same weekend.

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗱𝘂𝗸𝗲

Rajiv Joseph’s Off-Broadway play (running through December 21 at Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre) explores similar issues through the eyes of three much younger assassins: Gavrilo Princip and his cohorts, who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and incited World War I.

The teenage reprobates are searching for purpose in their lives, having each received a diagnosis of tuberculosis. When a mysterious “Captain” entrusts them with a mission to protect Serbian independence, they must mature quickly.

The darkly comic play starts strong but doesn’t quite stick the landing. Joseph falters when he tries to attach too deep a meaning to the material.

Regardless, director Darko Tresnjak marshals the action effectively on Alexander Dodge’s set. This play isn’t as strong as Tresnjak’s Tony-winning work on A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, but he uses many of the same gifts, especially in a pantomime of the assassination that ends the first act.

The actors playing the central trio (Jake Berne, Adrien Rolet, and Jason Sanchez) are all making their Off-Broadway debuts. Each one acquits himself well, especially in the more physical fight scenes.

Luckily, they have two veterans to help them. As a kindly housekeeper, Kristine Nielsen provides (slightly annoying) comic relief in the first act. In the second half, however, her role becomes more motherly, and she unlocks a more tender side to her character.

The true highlight, however, is Patrick Page as The Captain. The Tony nominee has one of the best voices in theatre, with his bass tones animating characters from the Grinch to Hades. 

Here, he adds another brilliant personality to his repertoire, delivering Joseph’s speeches with panache and just the right amount of menace.

Archduke isn’t quite a home run, but it effectively explores themes of extremism and masculinity that, sadly, remain relevant. As a double bill with Death by Lightning, it shows the terrible things people can do when pushed to the limit.