“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is a great way to kick off a new theater season while also welcoming the horror-filled Halloween season.
Whidbey Island Center for the Arts opens its new 2008-09 theater season with the macabre thriller “Sweeney Todd,” a Stephen Sondheim masterpiece recently popularized on film by Johnny Depp.
The show opens tonight for a run through Nov. 1 at the performing arts center at South Whidbey Island High School in Langley.
Sondheim’s genius in “Sweeney Todd” is combining a sweeping tragic story of grisly proportions with some of the most achingly beautiful ballads of musical theater. Add a dash of dark humor, a brooding leading man and the one and only Mrs. Lovett and you’re in pie heaven.
The story is about a vengeance-filled barber, Benjamin Barker, who returns to London as Sweeney Todd to get the man who falsely imprisoned him and took his young wife and daughter. Along the way, Sweeney “lifts his razor high” many times as the madness — and meat pies — continues to grow. The score is just as juicy as the plot with the hilarious “A Little Priest,” on the same menu as “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” and the stunning “Not While I’m Around.”
“Sweeney,” by Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, is directed by Deana A. Duncan with musical direction by Dana Linn and Robert Marsanyi. Suzanne Kelman and Jason Dittmer lead the cast as Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd.
“100 Years of Broadway”: If you’re the kind of person who could hear “Think of Me” just one more time, then book yourself an evening of some Broadway’s biggest hits.
About 30 of the greatest hits of Broadway are part of the evening billed as “100 Years of Broadway” with two performances Saturday at Edmonds Center for the Arts.
Broadway hitmaker Neil Berg has assembled several of Broadway’s performers to create a two-hour glittering presentation that covers the most popular and famous music of Broadway’s history. Patrons should expect to experience the history of Broadway packed into one performance with the stars of such theatrical productions as “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables,” “Evita,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Fiddler on the Roof” performing the roles in which they originally appeared. The cast is subject to change based upon possible Broadway and touring developments.
“Becky’s New Car”: The world premiere of this Steven Dietz play promises to take audiences on a wacky and wistful ride with a woman who follows where her fantasies lead her and winds up test driving a new life.
“Becky’s New Car” opens with previews tonight at ACT Theatre in Seattle and runs through Nov. 16.
According to promotional material about the show, Dietz’s play follows 40-ish Becky Foster (Kimberly King) who seems to like her job at an auto dealership, her solid husband Joe (Charles Leggett) and her freeloading psych-major son Chris (Benjamin Harris), but still she questions whether something is missing.
In walks slightly daft millionaire widower Walter Flood (Michael Winters) who instantly falls for Becky, who he assumes is also widowed. When Becky leads Walter on, he begins to invite her into his life of exclusive parties at his island estate and woos her to be the new Mrs. Flood.
The play tells the tale of life choices, roads not taken and whether happiness awaits at the end of the trip.
“Blue Nose”: “Blue Nose” is a story you can shape into a variety of different messages to discuss with kids such as racism, sexism, colonialism and self-esteem. Just don’t forget to have fun, too.
The show, intended for ages 6 years and older, opens Saturday at Seattle Children’s Theatre.
The story is about three red-nosed pirates who meet up with a blue-nosed girl, and the pirates can’t bear her being different. In the end, the girl teaches them to see past their own noses.
“Henry IV”: This is Seattle Shakespeare Company’s story of civil unrest as Prince Hal carouses with the rogue Falstaff while his father, the King, grapples with rebel wars plaguing the land. The prince struggles to mature into a heroic leader as father and Falstaff battle for his affections.
The production opens Thursday at Center House Theatre in Seattle.
“The Rose of Rio”: This Teatro ZinZanni performance is similar in lots of ways to past ones. But this time the menu is designed by celebrated Northwest chef Tom Douglas.
Teatro’s “Rose of Rio” opens Thursday and plays through Feb. 15 at Seattle Center.
While featuring the food creations of Douglas, the show also heralds the return of comedian Frank Ferrante as Chef Caesar, who was described by the New York Times as the “greatest living interpreter of Groucho Marx’s material,” and introduces Brazilian singer Paula Gelly.
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