Attend the Tale
 31st July, 2008
 By Renée Maloney
 

“The last two songs in act 1 (Epiphany and A Little Priest), pure Sondheim brilliance, in writing, dialogue, lyrics and music and a great moment between Mrs Lovett and Sweeney Todd. Leaves me smiling every time”

The origins of the 19th Century character Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is surrounded in as much mystery as the man himself. It is known that he first appeared as one of the protagonists of a “Penny Dreadful” series entitled “The String of Pearls (1846 – 1847). This story, of a throat slitting Barber and his industrious neighbour, soon became a mix of urban legend, myth and history. Like many of the world’s most loved villains their existence is ever present, used to scare and scare again.

Danny Ginsberg was stage struck from an early on and has played a variety of roles both on and off the stage. His love of performing developed during his school years, where he played many different roles in many different productions, to the point where he can’t remember anything about Biology yet he can still remember all the words to the songs from his lead role as “Barnum”. This continued into the University years, where his fear of public nudity led him into taking on the Assistant Director role in MUMCO’s 1996 production of “HAIR”, then the following year he directed his first production with MUMCO, “Oklahoma”. He returned onto the stage a few years later in 2001 as a chorus member of Nova’s “42nd Street”, and then quickly tapped his way back to directing with Panorama’s productions of “Bye Bye Birdie” in 2004 and “Little Shop of Horrors” in 2005. In 2006 he returned to the stage wearing fur and heavy make up, as the Cowardly Lion in PLOS’ production of “The Wizard of OZ”. Then, last year, as a sucker for big hot costumes he played the part of Cogsworth with PLOS in “Beauty and the Beast” – and taking on his biggest challenge yet he stepped in to direct Panorama’s “Les Miserable”. Danny is proud to return MUMCO to direct the production he dreamed of directing, 11 years ago.

The show stars Dean Mitchelmore as Sweeney Todd and Serenity Harbour as Mrs Lovett as well as a very well seasoned and talented supporting roles and ensemble. Dean Mitchelmore has been around for a while both on and off the stage. He’s directed amateur and professional shows and the dream role of playing Sweeny dragged him back onto stage. This is Serenity’s first lead, and a fairly demanding one at that. She’s better known around the amateur theatre world as a talented dancer. The production team wanted someone with genuine warmth and an eccentric streak, and she brings all of this and an amazing voice to this very challenging role. 

“The rest of the crew come from many and varied backgrounds, some hitting the stage for the first time and some very experienced performers. All have brought an amazing amount of talent and due to a large number of people who have auditioned we were fortunate to cast the best of the best”.

When questioned about the release of the film and the impact on the production, Danny agreed that the movie has created a lot of interest from a lot of people that have never heard of this fabulous musical. A lot of people turned up for the auditions, inquired about getting involved and requesting to help out on the back of this movie.  However, the film hasn’t had any technical or artistic influence on the vision of the show. “Sweeney’s one of those great production that you can put your own creative design on and not upset any one. We have paid tribute to many and a varied version of Sweeney, but this is definitely our own interpretation. Nothing off beat or out of the ordinary, it’s been a real team effort in brining this to life. In our version of Sweeney Todd we invite you to join us as we again bring this legend back to life. Set amongst the bleak existence of 19th Century England, our cast of characters not only battle Sweeney’s evil plot of revenge but also their own demons. Each character seems to be struggling to find their existence in this new world of the industrial revolution. Sweeney tries to find his place in world torn apart, the Judge struggles with his own moral dilemmas and the eccentric Mrs Lovett tries to find a place in Sweeney’s heart by stooping to unspeakable acts”.

The cast have worked exceptionally hard to get to where they have got to. All of them have had their individual challenges, whether it was the singing, acting, accents, first time lead, long time between performing or performing for the first time, or just dealing with Sondheim’s music. They have put in a huge amount of work both at rehearsal and at home.

Sweeney Todd has been an immensely challenging but immensely rewarding, made much easier by the immeasurably talented and dedicated cast and crew.  Danny would especially like to thank Stuart (Musical Director) for his support, talent and friendship.

We hope this Steven Sondheim's thriller engulfs your imagination, thrills your musical senses and leads you into the darkness. I invite you to attend the tale of Sweeney Todd as he embarks on his murderous revenge.

Sweeney Todd hits the Alexander Theatre 7-16th August

Ticket Prices: Adult: $32, Concession: $26, Monash Student: $22, Group 10+: $26

Bookings: Contact The Monash University Box Office on 9905 1111.
Alternatively, view: www.mumco.org

See our What’s On Section for details

 

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