SWEENEY TODD Comes to Portland Center Stage Next Month
Sweeney Todd begins preview performances on September 29th, opens on October 4th, and runs through November 3rd on the U.S. Bank Main Stage.
By: Stephi Wild Aug. 28, 2024
Portland Center Stage will open their 2024-25 season with the chilling and iconic musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Directed by Associate Artistic Director Chip Miller, Sweeney Todd begins preview performances on September 29th, opens on October 4th, and runs through November 3rd on the U.S. Bank Main Stage. The themes in Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd explore the dark humor and gothic horror within the corrosive effects of revenge, the dehumanization brought on by obsession, and the moral decay of society. Tickets are on sale now, including sliding scale tickets for the BIPOC Affinity Night, a.k.a. The People’s Party, on Thursday, October 10, at 7:30 p.m., with complimentary cocktails crafted by Multnomah Whiskey Library and Brown-Forman.
In the heart of Victorian London, exiled Sweeney Todd returns to Fleet Street with a burning desire for revenge and retribution, his eyes darkened by betrayal and his heart hardened by the injustice of Judge Turpin, who falsely imprisoned him to steal his beloved wife, and daughter, Johanna. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which Todd opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett’s luck takes a sharp turn when Todd’s thirst for blood inspires a new ingredient to her meat pies that are to die for! This Sondheim favorite will take the audience to sonic heights with its gorgeous and iconic score. From the very first note of the “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” to the final reprise, this sweeping score includes exciting songs with gorgeous harmonies throughout to satisfy any musical theater lover’s cravings!
"I’m excited to dive into the perfectly constructed musical that Wheeler and Sondheim have created while bringing the perspective of 2024 to explore the ideas of how unprocessed grief becomes unfettered rage…” director Chip Miller exclaims. Kicking off the 2024-25 season’s theme of “Flip the Script” with Sweeney Todd, Miller poses this question to the audience: “what is it to see a play in which the decided hero is actually a villain and how do we investigate the villain that is inside all of us?”
Chip Miller is joined in this chilling endeavor by some of Portland’s best and brightest creatives, including Britton Mauk (set designer for Clyde’slast season), designing the gritty Victorian London backdrop; Lucy Wells (designer for HAIR) creating the stunning costumes; Marika Kent designing the lighting for the bakery, barbershop and the streets of London (designer of Clyde’s); and Scott Thorson (HAIR designer) building the epic soundscape for the play. On stage, PCS favorites return: Delphon “DJ” Curtis, Wildlin Pierrevil, Isaiah Reynolds, Leif Norby, Isaac Lamb, Leah Yorkston, Gregory Brumfield, Gerrin Mitchell, Ashley Song, Hannah Sapitan, and Maddie Tran. They are also joined by several artists making their PCS mainstage debut: Emily Shackleford and Brian Burger.
ABOUT THE PLAY
After 15 years in exile on a trumped-up conviction, Sweeney Todd returns to the grit and grime of Victorian London, bent on reclaiming his life and exacting bloody retribution. With the help of his trusty razors and his plotting landlady and pie-shop owner, Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney tears through a corrupt society proving revenge is a dish best served piping hot. This Sondheim classic is to die for!
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