We've had musicals about Jesus Christ, the sinking of the Titanic, and an Argentianian dictator, so why does everyone get so thrown by Stephen Sondheim's musical about "Assassins"?

Strange as it seems, it is, in some ways, a foolproof show. There's a built in audience of just about anyone in the United States, history buff or not. We all know about Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth; if Squeaky Fromme and Charles Gateaux are not quite as familiar ­ well, they should have picked more popular presidents.

Open Eye Productions has actually tackled "Titanic", and other musicals, and director Chris Maher cleverly stages the many scenes in the small theater space. Hypocrites member John Byrnes as John Wilkes Booth deserves extra points for trying valiantly to keep his mustache from falling off, while. Originally an Off-Broadway show, Assassins finally had its shot at Broadway last season, in a production that won Best Revival of a Musical. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, and the recipient of much praise, it closed sooner than expected. Built in audience or not, this show ain't for the Wicked crowd.

Scenes depicting each assassination or attempted assassination are interspersed with scenes taking place in a sort of netherworld carnival. "Step right up and shoot a President," calls a carnival barker. Here, the titular characters attempt to explain themselves, spout venom, and engage in idle chit-chat. Certainly, this helps to provide historical context for the lesser-knowns, as well as ponder just how they morphed the American Dream into the goal of shooting the President of the United States.

Some of the assassinations are straightforward (Lincoln), some are comic (Ford), and some are musical, smartly employing traditional Americana musical tropes. Sondheim dabbled briefly with these in Pacific Overtures and recently in Bounce, but gets to really indulge here. Sondheim also offers a wonderfully cheesy 70s love ballad to John Hinckley, sung to a picture of Jodie Foster. Halfway through, Squeaky Fromme enters to sing her half to Charley Manson, and you can almost hear the Little River Band's version on AM radio. Most chilling, however, is the climactic scene in which assassins past and future converge on the Texas Schoolbook Depository to convince Lee Harvey Oswald to "take his place in history".

The youthful troupe give it their all (occasionally a little too much), depicting loonies and the misbegotten, with Sara Sevigny and Kate Staiger as audience favorites Sara Jane Moore and Squeaky Fromme. Their pot-induced assassination plans involve KFC, Charley Manson, a dead dog, and a great comic chemistry. Less fortunate, is Kevin Grubb as Sam Byck, the only would-be assassin to not receive his own musical number. Instead, he has two rather lengthy and similar monologues. I've never seen a production that can get these passages to work, although his idea of dropping a 747 onto the White House to incinerate Nixon seems a lot less comical than it did some years ago.

Assassins plays at the Storefront Theatre, 66 E. Randolph, until June 18. Tickets are $15.00.