Sweeney Todd…Wow, what a roller coaster of a show. This has been a bucket list show for me ever since I was twelve and watched the movie (admittedly, not because it was a musical but because I was obsessed with Johnny Depp). I fell in love with it for its complex characters and take on emotion and the human psyche. I went into the show hoping for the role of Johanna. I wanted to utilize my classical training in a way I never had before. While I didn’t get Johanna, I did land the alternate for the Beggar Woman and a featured part in the ensemble. I realized that perhaps this was a better role for me, and I dove head-first into the process.
And what a process it was. We had only a short three months to create a mind-melding production of the show. Our director, Steve Josephson, who was straight out of a decade working in Grand European Opera, wanted a stark, new, in-your-face take on the traditional Sondheim masterpiece. We, as a cast, worked tirelessly and put on two incredible shows.
And then disaster struck. On the morning of our third show, three of our cast members tested positive for COVID, our Beadle Bamford, our Judge Turpin, and our Beggar Woman. The next day, two more members of the cast tested positive. Many members of our ensemble and main actors that were on their off nights spent the next few hours rehearsing and learning the parts, and I, as an alternate who had only ever performed the role in rehearsals, was put onto the stage as one of the most important roles in the show. Miraculously, we were able to perform all eight of our shows that were scheduled. We didn’t have to cancel a single one. On our closing night, two of our original cast members were able to rejoin us, and we said farewell to the show with a bang.
While the show may not have gone as it was initially supposed to, it did teach me a tremendous amount about how a powerhouse of an ensemble can save the day. Without my cast mates' hard work and dedication, the show would have been canceled, and all of our hard work would have gone down the drain. This is an experience I will never shut up about. Sweeney Todd will stick in my memory forever.
