2011

Cast A

July 27 & 29 at 7:30pm, July 30 at 1:30pm

Sweeney Todd/Benhamin Barker- Jonathon LeRose

Judge Turpin - Cody Weldon

Beadle Bamford - Tonny Amoroso

Aldofo Pirelli/Danny O'Higgins - Lucas LaRochelle

Anthony Hope - Christopher Jones

Jonas Fogg/Bird Seller - Aaron Shelson

Tobias Ragg - Lilly Konkortzelos

Mrs. Lovett - Mary Askwith

Beggar Woman/Lucy Barker - Kearyn Vos

Johanna Barker - Lauren Voorpostel

Beggar Woman Chorus:

Dallis Brinkman, Tinishya Gillis, Alex Hetherington, Lynn Jabori,  Sarah Kanko, Paisley Pasloske, Gillian Sorsen

Featured Roles

Towns people, Lunatics Customers, Dancers

Isaak Bonk, Brooklyn Brinkman, Christina Brdoks, Ben Clement, Trylor Mackenzie Téa Christopoulos, Lexi Dnieper, Tinishya Gillis, Dafna Godovich, Lynn Jabori, Zahara Mair, Bridget McFadden, Hannah Murray, James Perry, Aaron Shelson

Cast B

July 28 at 7:30pm, July 29 at 1:30pm, July 30 at 7:30pm

Sweeney Todd /Benhamin Barker - Jonathon LeRose

Judge Turpin - Cody Weldon

Beadle Bamford - Tonny Amoroso

Aldofo Pirelli - Lucas LaRochelle

Anthony Hope - Christopher Jones

Jonas Fogg/Bird Seller - Aaron Shelson

Tobiass Ragg  - Katie Lear

Mrs. Lovett - Olivia Cox

Beggar Woman/Lucy Barker - Celia Weiss

Johanna Barker - Dylann Miller

Beggar Woman Chorus:

Dallis Brinkman,Tinishya Gillis,  Alex Hetherington, Lynn Jabori, Sarah Kanko, Paisley Pasloske, Gillian Sorsen

Featured Roles

Towns people, Lunatics Customers, Dancers

Isaak Bonk, Brooklyn Brinkman, Christina Brdoks, Ben Clement, Taylor Mackenzie, Téa Christopoulos, Lexi Dnieper, Tinishya Gillis, Dafna Godovich, Lynn Jabori, Zahara Mair, Bridget McFadden, Hannah Murray, James Perry, Aaron Shelson

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Why this thrilling choice for youths you may wonder?

Not only did this selection win our most popular student vote by a landslide (87%), but many of our business colleagues gave this one honorable mention as well.

 

Here are our reasons for complying with the students' choice this season....

A parent writes:

'Is this really any worse than typical Shakespeare tragedies and historical plays that are required reading in most high schools? The body count gets pretty high in Macbeth and several of the other historical plays, Hamlet is just as bloody and adds themes of suicide and incest, we have children murdered in Richard III, we get murder, teen suicide and premarital sex in Romeo and Juliet, and more murder and suicide in Lear, after all.'


I will add that I grew up with fairy tales where children could get shoved into ovens to be eaten. I guess if you turn them into gingerbread men instead of meat pies and the spell is all reversed while they all sing joyfully, "We are free we are free" in the end, it kind of softens the blow. No spells are reversed in Carmen, Madame Butterfly, Bluebeard's Castle, Miss Saigon or Into the Woods.

Think also of the content of musicals such as Cabaret, Chicago, Jekyll & Hyde, Rent. where it's seemingly quite acceptable to portray females in compromising roles on stage....this is just theatre, right? Take note that the star female vehicles in Sondheim's shows and certainly true for Sweeney Todd are not typical femme fatales, witches of evil, or loosey goosey. Don't let the film carry you away, the stage which is the original version is not as sensational in gore and is much more artistic much like the style of an opera or classical theatre piece.

The truth is, this is musically and dramatically, highly sophisticated and we are entering a style of musical that follows the operatic and classical theatre trends of dramatic irony, pathos, satire among other elements while retaining the light music theatre elements of singing style, comedy and other factors. Although musically and dramatically challenging, we are also involving the student in music that will aid in the fundamental development of their voices, musicianship, and acting shills. Whether ensemble or lead, this really stands out on a resume. Most of our student clients were more interested in a classic choice such as last season and less in musical comedy this time 'round again. And hey, much like Les Mis, Miss Saigon, there is comedy in the show.

After attending an evening with Stephen Sondheim at the Princess of Wales Theatre, December 6, 2010, I was even more pumped to be exposing our students to and presenting this great musical theatre work.

Quoted by Sondheim live that evening:

'So many schools are doing this....I don't why young people love this so much....it's so difficult.'

Sophisticated, macabre, visceral and uncompromising, “Sweeney Todd” nevertheless has a great sense of fun, mixing intense drama with howlingly funny moments of dark humor: audiences find themselves laughing hysterically one moment and gasping in surprise the next.

Please feel free to attend one of our open houses and Sweeney Todd workshops to get a preview of the music, our program plans and directorial notes.   The first one will be March 6 (see upcoming events)

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2010

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2009

Once on this Island
by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
Music Theatre International

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2008

INTO THE WOODS JUNIOR

July 30 & 31, 2008, 7:30 pm
Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina (at Bloor)
Tickets $22, Adults, $17 Students & Seniors
All tickets at the door  $25

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2007 Seussical

2006 Bye Bye Birdie                           2005 Cinderella