Brad Barkdoll as Sweeney Todd. Photo by Anela Selkowitz.
Sondheim returns to Open Stage this month with a melodramatic musical horror dealing with class structure, a corrupt sense of justice and bloodshed.
Sweeney Todd began as a character in a “penny dreadful” (horror pulp fiction) in the 1800s, and has, delightedly, haunted us ever since.
Stephen Sondheim adapted the musical from a theatrical version of the story in 1979, captivating the musical theater crowd, and a film was adapted by Tim Burton in 2007, further introducing “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” to the masses. It seems the story has never gone out of style.
So, what is “Sweeney Todd” about?
“It’s about murder and revenge and making things equal in the eyes of those who have done wrong,” says Brad Barkdoll, who plays the titular character in Open Stage’s adaptation, directed by Producing Artistic Director Stuart Landon.
And that is about all you really should know going into it, according to Rachel Landon, who plays Mrs. Lovett, Todd’s partner in crime.
“If you’ve never seen the play or the film, I highly recommend going into it blind,” she said.
I’ll quickly add that this musical is not for the faint of heart. Its twists are gruesome, and its turns involve a heck of a lot of blood. As the saying goes, “revenge is a dish best served cold,” but the meat pies that Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett conjure up are best served hot—and to music.
Rachel Landon and Barkdoll have performed in many of the same productions at Open Stage, but never side by side—a key factor that both are excited to experience.
Barkdoll, a tenor who is stretching his vocal cords for a bass/baritone role, is excited to discover such a different character from the roles he’s played previously, and while he doesn’t necessarily feel a common bond with Sweeney Todd—thank goodness—there is something about the play that strikes a chord. Landon agrees.
“The plot has themes that modern society altogether finds too relatable,” she said, from criminal injustice to the seeming inevitability of violence in today’s society.
“Sweeney Todd” runs Feb. 24 to March 17 at Open Stage, 25 N. Court St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.openstagehbg.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
At Open Stage
www.openstagehbg.com
717-232-6736
Harrisburg Asian American Pacific Islander presents
Lunar New Year
Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
EFF Live!
A night of naughty fan fic readings
Friday, Feb 23 at 7:30 pm
Black NewsBeat with Dr. Kimeka Campbell
Join the live studio audience!
Wednesday, Feb. 14 & 28 at 7:30 p.m.
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
The Sondheim musical thriller
Feb. 24 to March 16
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