Character guide
Squeaky Fromme
from Assassins
Squeaky Fromme, a devoted follower of Charles Manson who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975, appears in Assassins, Stephen Sondheim's 2004 musical.
- Show
- Assassins
- Broadway premiere
- 2004
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Stephen Sondheim
Who is Squeaky Fromme?
Fromme is portrayed as a childlike, almost dreamy devotee of Manson, seeking his approval through an act of violence she does not fully understand as violence. She is frequently paired with fellow real life would be Ford assassin Sara Jane Moore, and their scenes together mix absurdist comedy with genuine menace.
Her devotion to Manson is played not as ideology but as a desperate need to belong, another variation on the show's recurring portrait of loneliness curdling into extremism.
Fromme's role in Assassins
Fromme is a supporting role, most prominent in her scenes and duet material with Sara Jane Moore, where the two women's mismatched, bumbling attempt on Ford's life plays as dark comic relief within the larger show. The part calls for an actress able to play unsettling naivety and comic timing simultaneously.
Because the Fromme and Moore material is some of the show's most overtly comic, the pairing is often highlighted in productions as a tonal counterweight to the more somber sequences surrounding Booth and Oswald.
Squeaky Fromme: frequently asked questions
What show is Squeaky Fromme from?
Squeaky Fromme is a supporting character in Assassins, which opened on Broadway in 2004.
Is Squeaky Fromme a lead or supporting role?
Fromme is a supporting role, frequently paired with fellow would be assassin Sara Jane Moore.
Who wrote the music for Assassins?
Stephen Sondheim composed the music and lyrics for Assassins.
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