VIDEO: Go Inside Rehearsals for 5th Avenue's SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

A deliciously thrilling story of revenge and retribution, The 5th Avenue Theatre is elated to bring Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to the stage in Seattle April 21 - May 14, 2023. Get a first look at the cast in rehearsal!

The contemporary classic has captivated audiences and critics alike since it opened on Broadway in 1979 - going on to win both the Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical, as well as inspiring a 2007 film adaptation. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, this production will follow The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of Into the Woods as the second in a two-show celebration of Sondheim creations.

After 15 years in exile, Sweeney Todd, an unsettling man with a mysterious past, arrives in a dark and gritty London hungry for vengeance against the judge who destroyed his life. Joined by Mrs. Lovett, the unhinged proprietress of a failing pie shop, the two concoct a spine-tingling plot to exact revenge. The dark and twisted production will pull inspiration from Victorian Era Blood Tub theaters.

"We are interested in the animalistic impulses that rule the world of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," said Jay Woods, the show's director and The 5th's associate artistic director. "We want to pull inspiration from the Victoria Era blood-tub theaters in the same way that playwright Christopher Bond originally did, and that Sondheim fell in love with. We want to push the extremes of melodrama and the grotesque."

Assuming the role of Sweeney Todd is Yusef Seevers. While new to The 5th Avenue Theatre's stage, Seevers currently serves as a resident artist at Pacific Conservatory Theatre. Taking on the role of Mrs. Lovett is Anne Allgood, a veteran performer on The 5th Avenue Theatre's stage, who was most recently seen in Disney's Beauty and the Beast as Madame de la Grande Bouche. Joining them is a cast of extraordinary talents including: Deon'te Goodman (Hamilton on Broadway) as Anthony Hope, Leslie Jackson (National Tour of Spamalot) as Johanna, Nik Hagen (West Side Story) as Tobias Ragg, Sean David Cooper (Baz Luhrmann's La Bohème on Broadway) as Judge Turpin, Jason Weitkamp (Disney's Beauty and the Beast) as The Beadle, Porscha Shaw (Into the Woods) as Beggar Woman, and Anthony Webb (Le Nozze Di Figaro at Seattle Opera) as Adolfo Pirelli. Rounding out the cast is Ethan Carpenter, John Coons, Ann Cornelius, Alyza Delpan-Monley, Joel Domenico, Eric Jensen, Alexander Kilian, Cassi Q Kohl, Trina Mills, Bianca Raso, Cameron Widmark, Brandon O'Neill, Beth DeVries, Mark Emerson, Miranda Antoinette, Kooper Campbell, and Casey Raiha.

This will mark Jay Woods' second time directing on The 5th Avenue Theatre's stage, after previously directing Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 2022. Joining Woods on the production team is choreographer Katy Tabb (Gregory Award-Winner for Best Choreography for Newsies at Village Theatre), music director Matt Perri (The 5th's resident music supervisor), scenic designer Lex Marcos (Into the Woods), costume designer Danielle Nieves (I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Seattle Rep), lighting designer Robert J. Aguilar (Urinetown, The Pajama Game), sound designer Haley Parcher (Into the Woods), wig & makeup designer Cherelle D. Guyton (Disney's Beauty and the Beast), fight & intimacy director Ian Bond (Disney's Beauty and the Beast), and casting director Cordelia Miller (And So That Happened...), with additional casting by Andrea Zee (Beauty and the Beast).

When the lights go down and the curtain goes up, you won't dare look away. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is onstage in Seattle April 21 - May 14, 2023. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at The 5th Avenue Theatre's website, over the phone, or by visiting the box office. For more information visit www.5thavenue.org.

Content Advisory: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street contains material which may not be suitable for all audiences. The production contains sexual content, violence, gore, gun use, and death. Scenes depicting sexual assault and murder are highly theatrical but intense in nature. This production is suitable for individuals familiar/comfortable with content which is typically rated R. For more detailed information about this, please visit our website.

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