Drury Lane Theatre's SWEENEY TODD Begins Previews Tomorrow

Drury Lane Theatre presents Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning masterpiece SWEENEY TODD, previewing August 11, opening August 17 at 7 p.m. and running through October 9 at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane. This razor-sharp tale of murder and corruption is Directed and Choreographed by multi-Jeff Award winner Rachel Rockwell (Ragtime and Miss Saigon at Drury Lane Theatre), who was named "Best Director" by Chicago Magazine in 2010. SWEENEY TODD stars four-time Tony Award nominee Gregg Edelman as "Sweeney Todd" (nominated as Best Actor in a Musical for City of Angels, Anna Karenina, 1776, and Into the Woods; other Broadway credits include Evita, Cabaret, and Les Miserables and the films Little Children and Spider-Man 2). Bistro Award winner and NYMF Award recipient Liz McCartney stars as "Mrs. Lovett" (The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia!, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Les Miserables on Broadway).

SWEENEY TODD also stars Kevin Gudahl as "Judge Turpin" (Nominee for a 2005 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Court Theatre, The King and I at Marriott Theatre, and The House of Martin Guerre at Goodman Theatre); George Keating as "Pirelli" (Guys and Dolls and My Fair Lady at Marriott Theatre); Heidi Kettenring as a "Beggar Woman" (the Chicago production of Wicked and My Fair Lady at Marriott Theatre); Jonah Rawitz as "Tobias Ragg" (Les Miserables and A Christmas Carol at Marriott Theatre and Turn of the Century at Goodman Theatre); Emily Rohm as "Johanna Barker" (Eastland at Lookinglass Theatre, A Christmas Carol at Marriott Theatre and Drury Lane Theatre); William Travis Taylor as "Anthony Hope" (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Sugar at Drury Lane Theatre and Into the Woods at Porchlight Music Theatre); and George Andrew Wolff as "Beadle Bamford" (Hairspray at Marriot Theatre and Willy Wonka at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). The ensemble includes Larry Adams, John Francis Babbo, Kevin Barthel, Sean Effinger Dean, John Finley, Natalie Ford, Kristen French, Patrick Gagnon, David Girolmo, Cory Goodrich, Jennifer Grubb, Matthew Jones, Rachel Klippel, Catherine Lord, Ann McMann, Alex Newkirk, and James Rank.

Amber Mak (Ragtime and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Drury Lane Theatre) serves as Assistant Director of SWEENEY TODD, with Musical Direction by Jeff Award winner Roberta Duchak (Ragtime, Spamalot, Miss Saigon, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Drury Lane Theatre). Jeff Award winner Kevin Depinet's (Ragtime and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Drury Lane Theatre and set designer for the film Public Enemies) gritty scenic design will transport audiences back in time to the underbelly of London's infamous Fleet Street. The macabre mood of Sondheim's brilliant masterpiece will be further enhanced by haunting lighting by Jeff Award winner Jesse Klug (Spamalot at Drury Lane Theatre and The Screwtape Letters National Tour). Costume Design is by Theresa Ham (Dirty Blonde at Theatre Wit), Sound Design is by Garth Helm, and Wig Design is by Rick Jarvie.

SWEENEY TODD was hailed as "the greatest musical of the past half-century" by the Wall Street Journal and The New York Post called it "a bloody good musical!" The riveting thriller is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond. Set in Victorian London, SWEENEY TODD is the tale of Benjamin Barker, an exiled barber who escapes prison after 15 years to seek revenge on Judge Turpin, the man who unjustly imprisoned him and stole away his wife and child. When he returns to London, the deranged Barker changes his name to "Sweeney Todd" and joins forces with Mrs. Lovett, a diabolical meat-pie baker and resourceful proprietress of the pie shop, to get revenge. Unbeknownst to the public, Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd end up serving "anyone... to anyone."

SWEENEY TODD is the winner of eight 1979 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. A 2006 revival won two Tony Awards. Since its original Broadway premiere in 1979, the production has been nominated for a multitude of awards and has been presented on stages around the world, including hit London and Dublin productions. In 2007, Tim Burton adapted a film adaptation of the musical, starring Johnny Depp, which received the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy.

The performance schedule for SWEENEY TODD is as follows: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35), Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35) and 8 p.m. ($40), Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ($45), Saturdays at 5 p.m. ($45) and 8:30 p.m. ($46) and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. ($45) and 6 p.m. ($40). Lunch and dinner theater packages range from $49.75 to $68 depending on the day of the week. Student tickets start as low as $20 and Senior Citizen tickets start as low as $29 for matinees and $43.75 for a matinee luncheon package. For reservations, call the Drury Lane Theatre box office at 630.530.0111, call TicketMaster at 800.745.3000, or visit www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.

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