Cambridge Theater Prepares to “Kill” Opening Night of Spring Musical
Sweeney Todd scene rehearsals.
March 14, 2019
Murder, sexual assault and illegal activities: these are just a few of the thrilling events of the school play.
The school theater department is performing the musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” this Friday and Saturday, as well as March 21 and March 22. Even though the musical is darker, there is comedic relief.
Director Tracey Buot said “A thriller and it’s dark but also funny,” when she described the musical.
Buot had many reasons why she decided to go with this musical.
She wants to challenge the performers and help them develop. This was done by the atmosphere of the play and the music.
Buot said that darker, more serious plays develop the actors because it would make them more dynamic. The music in the play is also very strenuous.
“The singing is very difficult” said Buot.
There are also many difficulties that the actors in the play had to overcome.
These difficulties ranged from having to speak in dialects to having to play a character that is completely different from their personality.
Senior Zachary Frazier plays Judge Turpin, the main antagonist of the musical. Frazier said that he has a lot of difficulty playing the role.
“For me, it is hard to play someone as evil as him, due to what he does in the play,” said Frazier.
To help him prepare for the role he tries to be rude during the rehearsals so he is able to overcome this challenge.
Blaise Williams is playing Anthony, a sailor who saved the life of protagonist Sweeney Todd.
Williams said that some of the difficulties he faced when preparing the role is making sure that he has properly prepared his lines. He also has found some difficulties with the songs because they are similar in lyrics but may require the singer to hit different notes which can cause confusion.
Williams has prepared for his role by trying to dive into his character.
During rehearsals, he smiles a lot and stands straight while also speaking clearly and properly. He also has to take some other steps in preparing for the role
“I stay away from some of the people I see as close friends who are also in the play, like Zach, who plays the judge, and since we are supposed to hate each other in the play we don’t talk a lot at rehearsals,” said Williams
Williams also described the play as dark. This is because the story follows a man who is seeking revenge for the death of his wife after he was unjustly sent to jail by the same person who raped her.
There is also a lot of murder within the story, as people are being baked into pies and served.
Despite the depressing topics of the play, the cast members have bonded.
“Both the ensemble and the crew have become tight, like a family, even though everyone comes from different backgrounds and different performing arts or other activities,” said Williams.
This bond helps the actors create an eerie performance which makes “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” not for the faint of heart.
Buot said, “I wouldn’t advise anybody under the age of 13 to see this musical.”
