Blood, Guts, and Live Instruments

Long before Johnny Depp and Tim Burton made the movie, Sweeney Todd was a tale of 19th-century British folklore: a bloodthirsty madman who goes on a murderous rampage, seeking revenge for ... well, we won’t spoil it for you here. After he kills, he does something to the bodies that...

By Dan Renzi

December 27, 2007

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Long before Johnny Depp and Tim Burton made the movie, Sweeney Todd was a tale of 19th-century British folklore: a bloodthirsty madman who goes on a murderous rampage, seeking revenge for ... well, we won’t spoil it for you here. After he kills, he does something to the bodies that is really, really gross. If you don’t know what it is, we won’t tell you that either. Rest assured, it is an extremely distasteful story line.

The folktale was eventually turned into a musical by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, and it is one of his masterpieces, with a soaring score and delicious script that earned the Tony for Best Musical. And guess what? It's coming to the Carnival Center just in time to ride the publicity from the Depp/Burton film. The stage version of Sweeney Todd isn't your garden-variety Broadway musical. There are no chorus boys dancing around in tight pants; this is visceral theater about murder, lust, and revenge. It’s not for the faint of heart. Three cheers for the Carnival Center for having the, ahem, guts to house this show. The blood will run until January 6. See it tonight at 8.
Jan. 2-6, 2008

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