[Apples2for10]

In about two years from now, my college will be doing ST. I'm aware that this will be a challenge, particularly in finding musicians and a good set design. I don't think that finding actors will be an issue (except for possibly someone to play Beadle or Pirielli). What do the rest of you think the big challenges will be?

[what_the_heck013]

The chair.
and the razor.

but both can be rented,
i think.

[Sweeney Hyde]

I would say the chair and the whole chute/trapdoor as a single unit could be tricky.

The razors aren't that difficult to make. It really shouldn't be hard for a college.

[kaelidancer]

The chair is actually not that complicated, if you have people who are decent engineers.

I'm directing a production of Sweeney Todd now, and the biggest problem I'm facing is the steam whistle, simply because I'm having trouble finding a working one that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

We have a chair, though, and it works beautifully. As for the razors, some pipettes from a local science or hobby supply, and some glue & tape are all you need to turn a regular razor into a blood-razor. Bear in mind that the blood razors cannot open and close, so you'll have to have others for "My Friends" and Pirelli, at least. I have ten... seven in the 'my friends' set, one for Pirelli, and two blood razors.

[what_the_heck013]

^The pipette's are really clever! I had never thought of that before. The ones I had seen online were really complicated with lots of internal mechanisms and such. I do remember hearing that the whistle is another challenge. I think there was a topic about it on here a while back.

[kaelidancer]

Thankya! Yeah, most prop knives like that are needlessly complex and pricey, meant for close-up camera work, usually. Stage weapons can be much simpler.

An update: as a matter of fact, I found a steam whistle today! These guys had one in their Ebay store:

http://livesteamcalibration.ieasysite.com/

http://stores.ebay.com/akrailways

It's a scale model whistle, so it's pretty tiny, but he sounded it for me over the phone and it has just the shrill, screeching tone that Sweeney Todd needs. The whistle was $45, and for another $20 they'll custom-fit it to my air compressor's hose. Pretty sweet deal, and the owner was very helpful on the phone. Just posting it here for the benefit of other productions, as the information was sadly absent on the 'net when I was researching it.

[Apples2for10]

Does anyone else think that a good Pirrelli and Beadle will be hard to find?

[Pannic]

Eh. You just need two really high operatic tenors. A college with a decent choir or opera program should have someone who fits the bill.

[Monsieur D'Arque]

Pirelli needn't be an operatic tenor if one isn't available. There's a debate over whether he should be a virtuosic opera singer or sound like a guy impersonating an opera singer with a bad falsetto.

[elizabethjaneforrest]

The score is TOUGH to learn, even for talented musicians.

[Pannic]

[Apples2for10]

[Moxie Music]

[Rorgg]

Add another vote for the difficulty of the music -- across the board. It's hard for the principals AND it's rough on the chorus.

It's been causing me a bit of grief. I was planning on doing another musical this coming Spring, and felt like I had a pretty solid shot at a nice principal role (the villain, natch, since I'm a bass) but then another area company let leak that it's planning to do Sweeney Todd about a month after that first show opens.

I talked to the prospective director, and he didn't see a problem with it, but I'm now leaning against doing that other show. I'm a trained singer, and I feel like I'm reasonably familiar with the songs, but if I want to play Todd (and I really do, though Turpin would be nice as well) I don't think I'll be able to give a performance that *I* am happy with without dedicating to it for the whole rehearsal period.

God knows what the prospective company members (half of which, knowing a typical company composition, won't be able to read music) are up against.

[Moxie Music]

The company I am with did company auditions and then did outside auditions to fill main principles and to bulk up the chorus. Those that don't read music worked with the CD and in rehearsals we had a choir type thing going on. We rehearsed all of the songs first until everyone knew the general tunes, then the musical director really pushed with the reminders and any details as the director did the blocking.

Todd has found it a challenge, but I think the singing element of the role would be relatively approachable if you are a strong singer. Sweney sings a lot of the melody in songs rather than complicated harmonies. I'd say the Judge's role would be better if you wanted to take a step back, however, Sweeney looks a lot more fun to play. Get hold of the CD if you can and try and get into it in your car if you drive, or a half hour a day or something. Sweeney's part is easy to hear throughout. Plus, if you have an excellent Mrs Lovett then you will have excellent support in her as I'd say the parts are equally as tough!

[Rorgg]

It's not so much the melodics as the transitions between them -- there are several spots in the show where Todd moves from one tune to another within the same scene (No Place Like London -> Barber and His Wife, for instance... and that's a good part of what makes "Epiphany" such a monster to sing properly ... going between the component snatches of melody, and the spoken bits). Not to mention Sondheim's occasional tendencies toward atonality...

Personally, I'm confident I can handle the role if I can land it and I'll at least get a fair shake at that. In any case, I'd rather dedicate myself to this show and play Todd well than do Turpin with half a mind to it (though Turpin's role is no piece of cake either, considering I'm positive the director will want to do Turpin's Johanna). The point was that, even for a strong singer, this isn't a show whose music you can approach halfheartedly.