TV: Watch Scenes from Paramount's Bold and Bloody SWEENEY TODD

Some call Sweeney Todd Stephen Sondheim's most perfect score, filled with ravishing beauty. Others describe this Victorian melodrama as a pitch-black comedy, filled with thrills and terrors. Many herald this musical about an English barber, who murders his customers with a straight razor and, with his accomplice Mrs. Lovett, processes their corpses into meat pies, one of the single greatest achievements of American theater in the last 50 years. Some, others, many and bloody well everyone need to strap themselves in for Paramount Theatre's bold new production of Sweeney Todd-The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Click below to watch scenes from the show!

Artistic Director Jim Corti - who staged last season's Jeff winning best musical West Side Story, winner of 2015 Jeff Awards for director and musical for LES MISERABLES, and the only Chicago theater artist to win Jeffs for directing, choreography and acting, will stage and choreograph Paramount's new take on Sondheim's beautiful, yet terror-filled musical. Paramount favorite Tom Vendafreddo returns for his tenth consecutive Paramount production as music director and conductor.

It's just another day in 19th Century England. Benjamin Barker has returned home. The only thing is, it's been 15 years since the once fresh-faced barber has seen his family. Barker was unjustly imprisoned on trumped up charges by the corrupt Judge Turpin, who had his leering eyes on the barber's beautiful wife. Upon his arrival to the pie shop where he and his family once lived above, Barker's old friend and confidant Mrs. Lovett unravels the events of the past decade. She explains about the seduction of his wife by the Judge, which led her to take her own life. And to sharpen the pain, she breaks the news that the Judge adopted and is raising Barker's daughter as his own. Barker vows revenge and turns to the tools with which he'll exact his plan: a razor and a barber chair. While the ensuing events are unfortunate for some, others - including Mrs. Lovett, her struggling pie shop and her customers - quickly prosper from the body count.

Paramount's principal cast members are Paul-Jordan Jansen as Sweeney Todd,
Bri Sudia as Mrs. Lovett, Matt Deitchman as Adolfo Pirelli, Larry Adams as Judge Turpin, Cecilia Iole as Johanna, Anthony Norman as Tobias Ragg, Emily Rohm as Beggar Woman, Patrick Rooney as Anthony Hope and Craig W. Underwood as Beadle. *updated, Larry Adams replaces John Herrera.

Ensemble members are Julie Bayer, Harter Clingman, Nathan Maurice Cooper, Evan C. Dolan, Thomas Forde, Emily Glick, Emily Goldberg, Alana Grossman, Teressa LaGamba, Harriet Nzinga Plumpp, Matthew Thomas Provencal, Rob Riddle, Dan Riley, Will Skrip, Jason Slattery and Abby Murray Vachon.

The Sweeney Todd production team includes Trent Stork, associate director; Kory Danielson, assistant music director/associate conductor; Jeff Kmiec, scenic designer; Theresa Ham, costume designer; Nick Belley and Jesse Klug, co-lighting designers; Adam Rosenthal, Sound Designer; Ethan Deppe, electronic music designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and make-up designer; Amanda Relaford, properties designer; Patrick Ham, special effects designer; Ryan Bourque, fight choreographer; Jinni Pike, stage manager; and Nora Mally, assistant stage manager.

Performances run now through March 19: Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Single tickets are $44 to $59. Sweeney Todd is rated PG-13. To purchase tickets, go to ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or visit the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and two hours prior to evening performances.

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