Musical Theatre West's SWEENEY TODD Runs Through 2/14

MUSICAL Theatre West kicks off the new year with the Stephen Sondheim masterpiece, SWEENEY TODD. Sweeney Todd opened January 30 and runs through February 14 at the spectacular Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond. In this legendary 1979 Tony Award-winning musical thriller, the infamous demon barber embarks on a delicious plot to slice his way through London's upper crust with the help of his crafty neighbor, Mrs. Lovett, enacting revenge upon those who have committed injustices upon Todd and his family. Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway at the Uris Theatre on March 1, 1979 and ran for 557 performances. It was directed by Harold Prince with musical staging by Larry Fuller. It starred Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd and Angela Lansbury of Murder, She Wrote fame as Mrs. Lovett.

About the Cast

Norman Large returns to the MTW stage to portray Sweeny Todd. Mr. Large's Broadway credits include The Woman in White, Les Misérables and A Doll's Life.  He previously appeared for MTW as Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance and as Georges in La Cage aux Folles (both performances received Ovation Award nominations!). He has an active career as a concert singer and his television credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seinfeld, NYPD Blue and Veronica Mars.

Also featured in the cast are Debbie Prutsman as Mrs. Lovett, Michelle Duffy as Beggar Woman, Dan Callaway, as Anthony, Roland Rusinek as The Beadle, Jim Holdridge as Tobias, Richard Gould as Judge Turpin and Alan M-L Wager as Pirelli. The ensemble includes, Travis Robertson, Richard Bermudez, Victor Hernandez, Zane Gerson, Jason Evans, Jeremy Bernard, Michael Skidgel, Christopher Van Etten, Bill Marty Johnson, Isaac James, Heather Lundstedt, Amy Gillette, Stephanie Burkett-Gerson, Jessica Bernard, Lois Bourgon and Rachel Ellen Green.

About the Creative Team

Calvin Remsberg (Director) – Mr. Remsberg directed the acclaimed 20th Anniversary production of Sweeney Todd at the Ahmanson Theater, starring Kelsey Grammer, Christine Baranski, and Neil Patrick Harris, and recently directed the equally well received production of Sweeney Todd at Performance Riverside. Other directing credits include Educating Rita, Chapter Two, and Dracula for the Hermosa Beach Playhouse, Triumph of Love at the Falcon Theater, and The Sound of Music for Cabrillo Music Theater. Recently, he has directed the Los Angeles premieres of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and Parade, Street Scene, Drood, Aspects of Love, and The Most Happy Fella for the Musical Theatre Guild, as well as the Best Musical Ovation Award nominated productions of Urinetown for Interact, and Sunday in the Park with George for West Coast Ensemble. He made his Lincoln Center debut directing Night And Day: The Words And Music of Cole Porter starring Victoria Clark and David Hyde Pierce, part of the acclaimed American Songbook series, in January of 2009. He began his professional career in the classical world, performing in concerts in Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap Farm Park, and over thirty operas with Washington, Boston and New York City operas, including three filmed for television with opera diva Beverly Sills at Wolf Trap. When he's not directing or performing, he maintains a studio in private voice in Van Nuys, California, serving an elite clientele of Tony, Emmy, and Oscar winners, including American Idol finalist Adam Lambert.

John Glaudini (Musical Director) – Mr. Glaudini's musical directing credits include Aspects of Love, Street Scene for Musical Theatre Guild and I Love a Piano, Altar Boyz (LA Drama Critics Circle nominee) and The Andrews Brothers (Ovation Award nominee) for Musical Theatre West.  He also directed Andrew Lippa's A Little Princess (West Coast Premiere), Defying Gravity and Curtains for California Conservatory of the Arts. As arranger/orchestrator and/or music director; his credits include Heaven Help Us (Florida Stage; Denver Center), The Prince and the Pauper (Lamb's Theatre), I Love a Piano (Denver Center, Florida Stage), Pete 'n' Keely (John Houseman). He co-wrote the revues, Are We There Yet?, A Christmas Survival Guide, and I Love New York (NY Bistro award for best revue) which have been playing throughout the country. He began his career working for composer Stephen Flaherty on Lucky Stiff, Ragtime, Seussical, and the film, Anastasia. His NY credits include working in the music departments of 9 To 5, Legally Blonde, Spamalot, Bounce, and A New Brain. He is a member of the Dramatist Guild and an alumnus of the BMI Workshop in NYC. As a composer, his show, How the Nurse Feels was accepted into the Disney/ASCAP workshop in LA and was at the NAMT festival in NYC in 2008.

SWEENEY TODD Performance Dates/Times

Friday, January 29, 8:00 PM – Preview; Saturday, January 30, 8:00 PM – Opening Night; Sunday, January 31, 2:00 PM; Thursday, February 4, 8:00 PM; Friday, February 5, 8:00 PM; Saturday, February 6, 2:00 PM; Saturday, February 6, 8:00 PM; Sunday, February 7, 2:00 PM; Sunday, February 7, 7:00 PM; Thursday, February 11, 8:00 PM; Friday, February 12, 8:00 PM; Saturday, February 13, 2:00 PM;Saturday, February 13, 8:00 PM; Sunday, February 14, 2:00 PM.

Now in its 57th season, Musical Theatre West is one of Southern California's largest and most-respected theater companies. Under the leadership of Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman, the company has garnered numerous awards and accolades for its work presenting the entire spectrum of musical comedy (including 21 Ovation Award nominations over the past three seasons and the Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in the Theatre). Following Sweeney Todd in the 2009-2010 Season is The Marvelous Wonderettes and 1776.

Musical Theatre West performances are at the spectacular 1070-seat Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. Tickets for Sweeney Todd range from $30-$80 and can be purchased through the MTW Box Office at (562) 856-1999 x4 or online at www.musical.org.

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