|
With more fun than a graveyard on the night of the annual
skeleton ball, Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd will
creep on stage October 6 - November 4, 2000 at the Dean Lesher
Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive in Walnut Creek.
Based on an earlier version by Christopher Bond, Sweeney
Todd pounces into production with the award winning
Diablo Light Opera Company under the watchful eye of producer
Ellen B. Smith and the talented direction of Todd R. Ewing.
In honor of Sondheim's 70th birthday this year,
an incredible group of stars presented him with a New York
production of the Tony award winning Sweeney Todd.
He had always declared the opening of this show on Broadway
in March, 1979 to be one of his proudest moments as a composer
and lyricist.
This old English folklore set to music by Sondheim with the
aid of Hugh Wheeler's richly embroidered book, concerns the
injustice heaped on a barber named Benjamin Barker, who once
had a beautiful wife and a lovely daughter (Katharine Filak).
But Barker was sent away to prison by an evil Judge (Richard
Davis) who wanted the wife for his own lecherous purposes.
Barker returns fifteen years later as an escaped convict and
with the new identity of Sweeney Todd (John Hetzler) as well
as a master plan of vengeance against Judge Turpin and the
Beadle (John Erreca) who had destroyed his life. The plan
includes opening a new barbershop above the pie shop of Mrs.
Lovett (Michele Krapp). There, with a nibble of insane cooperation,
the revengeful plan is placed into action with a bonus….feeding
the starving of the London slums. A demented beggar (Donna
Turner), a wandering sailor (Keith Barlow), a magic elixir
salesman (Michael Ryken) and his young aide (Adam Elsberry)
along with babbling bag ladies, loonies from the asylum and
a stage full of creeping humanity invade the story and accelerate
this musical thriller masterpiece.
The haunting, operatic music is directed and conducted by
Alexander Katsman with set design by Andrea Bechert and lighting
by Mike Barney. Barbara Gherzi coordinates tastefully grubby
costumes from The American Music Theatre with sound design,
compliment of Carole Davis.
So come one, come all and "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.
His skin was pale and his eye was odd. He shaved the faces
of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard of again. What
happened then…well, that's the play and he wouldn't
want us to give it away. Not Sweeney, not Sweeney Todd, the
Demon Barber of Fleet Street".
General admission prices for this one-of-a-kind musical thriller
experience are $23.00. Student (not recommended for those
under age 10), senior and group tickets are $20.00.
Student rush tickets for $10.00 go on sale 10 minutes before
show time, subject to availability. For ticket information,
call the Box Office at 925 943-7469.
|
