Reitz Theater to present ‘Sweeney Todd’

By Andy Stine

astine@altoonamirror.com

Reitz Theater of CRI in DuBois will be presenting “Sweeney Todd” in a couple weeks, just a couple months removed from a successful production of “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.”

“Sweeney Todd” will premiere on July 10 and run through July 12, then pick up again on July 16-18. All shows will begin at 7 p.m. with the exception of July 12, which will be a Sunday matinee show at 2 p.m.

Much like “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals,” “Sweeney Todd” will have some explicit material and obscene language, according to Reitz Theater media specialist and board member Andy Benson.

Benson describes Sweeney Todd as “a violent thriller type of musical.”

“It’s not exactly for kids,” Benson said.

The Stephen Sondheim classic musical is set in the 1840s in London on Fleet Street where Sweeney Todd is a barber. Todd murders his customers while in the barber chair.

The film “Sweeney Todd,” which was released in 2007 and starred Johnny Depp, likely made the musical even more popular than it already was. The musical opened on Broadway in 1979, and in the West End in 1980.

“I think that will hopefully help with the tickets,” Benson said of the popular movie.

Reitz Theater has kept with the theme of having an edgy side of its productions this season. Most have had dark comedy or satire, and at times have had a dark nature in general.

“We thought we’d kind of do some experimentation and see what people want to come see,” Benson said.

“‘Sweeney Todd’ is a more well-known show than a lot of others. (‘The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals’) was definitely more obscure, but the younger generations definitely were fans of it. This is more of a classic that older and younger people will come see.”

Benson has said that the music that needs to be learned by the cast has been a challenge.

“They’re doing a great job, but they have their work cut out for them, that’s for sure,” he said.

Benson noted that since it is a setting in the 1840s in London, there will be differences than most plays. Costumes will be from that time, and characters may talk differently than in the present-day world.

“Any time there’s a period piece like that, I think people want to come see it,” Benson said. “It’s taking you somewhere else. It’s not just a modern-day story.”

One of the challenges of doing “Sweeney Todd” is the turnaround from the previous musical, which was presented in April. Auditions were done right after “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals” was completed, and rehearsal started shortly after auditions.

While there are a few actors that were in the last musical, many have taken at least one or two of the previous performances away from the stage.

“There’s always people to pick from and a good amount of people to work with,” Benson said. “It’s just a matter of what people want to devote their time to.”

If people want to get involved at Reitz Theater, all they need to do is stop by on East Scribner Avenue in DuBois and ask questions, according to Benson.

“If someone has done 100 musicals, they can do another one,” Benson said. “If somebody has never done one before, they can stop in and learn how.”