Issue date: 10/28/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Chris Griffin [Click to enlarge]

MSC OPAS will present Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a musical based on the 19th-century London legend of a barber who was driven mad after his wife and child were taken from him, said Craig Boleman, marketing representative for OPAS. Partnered with the character Mrs. Lovett, Todd takes his revenge on the people of London. The production is director John Doyle's adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim original.

Doyle revived the musical in 2005 with this adaptation, which included a simpler set and smaller cast. Instead of being played by an orchestra, the score is played by the 10 members of the cast.

"It was very daunting at first," said cast member Duke Anderson, "We have to set our own tempo and follow each other. It makes us react to one another more as actors."

Anderson plays the role of Anthony, the young man who falls love with the character Johanna in the show.

"I think of Anthony as the light in the show," Anderson said. "He's the one person who's happy, positive, determined. He's the one person who has a happy ending. All of these [characters] are very real people. Anthony is like a lot of people I know, he's happy, he finds joy in life. And if people aren't like that, maybe they want to be like that."

The character of Sweeney Todd was very real in the minds of Londonians in the 19th century. Crime historian and author of "Sweeney Todd: The Real Story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street in 1993" Peter Haining conducted research that showed there might be some truth to the tale of Sweeney Todd.

Haining claimed to have evidence of a barber named Sweeney Todd who would slit clients' throats, steal their valuables and give their meat to a Mrs. Lovett, who would cook them in pies to sell.

The smell of the stowed corpses led police to investigate the scene, and Todd was hanged in 1802. Lovett escaped execution by confessing, but later killed herself.

The production is Anderson's first touring, paid performance, Boleman said. Anderson is taking time off from school at Oklahoma City University to travel with the show, which began touring in September and will end in April.

"The student population at A&M should especially enjoy it [Sweeney Todd] because the majority of the people performing just graduated from college or university," said Leigh Sinclair, OPAS Student Chairwoman. "So we can relate to them because they're our age, and I think they [students] will be impressed that they're both singers and performers. It's a very talented group of young performers."

Anderson said audiences will enjoy his character's ballad "Johanna."

"It's incredibly beautiful," he said. "A lot of the words are repeated, but they have so much meaning. He doesn't say 'I love you,' he says 'I feel you.' He's very passionate; it shows the connection that he feels with her."

Tickets can be purchased at the MSC Box Office, at 979-845-1234 or online at www.mscopas.org. Ticket prices range from $32 to $72 with discounts available for students. A limited number of rush tickets may be purchased for $17 Tuesday and Wednesday.

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