Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opens Nov. 27 and will transport Williams Lake audiences back to the gritty world of nineteenth century London.
The powerful and disturbing musical production is the first one in the 70th season of the Williams Lake Studio Theatre Society, bringing a cast of 21 to the Michael Rawluk theatre stage.
Director Troë Weston said it is the biggest project so far for her, and the way the community theatre cast, crew and volunteers have come together to bring it all to life on stage has been "awesome."
"It's been really a huge group effort," she told the Tribune, noting how so many contributed in so many different ways.
"It's been really awesome to see everyone step up."
Having chosen the play for the elements of horror and the beautiful and different music of Stephen Sondheim, Weston said despite the difficulty of some of the music and stagecraft involved, she didn't have trouble filling the cast.
The one exception was when a cast member moved away shortly after getting the role due to a job opportunity. But with one posting, she filled the role a second time.
Requiring both acting and musical abilities, the cast have managed to come together, in choreography and song, to create a very creepy depiction of the darkest of our human tendencies.
Weston said the crew have been doing three rehearsals a week since the end of July, with one hour of vocal coaching at each rehearsal. In the last few weeks before opening, as the actors work "off book" and really get into their characters, Weston said she has enjoyed seeing the actors make character choices.
Sweeney Todd is the infamous demon barber, played by Jeff Richards. Todd is an unjustly convicted barber who had been exiled to Australia to clear the way for a lecherous judge to ravage Todd's young wife.
Richards is both dark and tortured, and a little bit mad in his portrayal of the vengeful husband and father.
There is love, lust, betrayal, a hefty amount of carnage and some cannibalism to boot.
Special effects and lighting all add to the feeling of 1800s London. While Weston said she wasn't a fan of horror movies growing up and doesn't watch them much now, horror brings a different element to live theatre, and while it's challenging, it is also exciting and fun.
After the first dress rehearsal on Nov. 24, Weston was pleased with how some of the technical pieces had come together.
"And I think it's just going to keep getting better," she said.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street plays November 27-30, December 4-7, and 11-14, 2024 at 7 p.m., curtain at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and students.
Tickets are available via the Williams Lake Studio Theatre website or at The Open Book. The play does contain some adult content.
