Sweeney Todd part deux - the tour - Back to the Beginning
On August 6th, 2007, I will begin Sweeney Todd rehearsals for a year long international tour. August 24th, 2007 I leave New York for San Francisco.
The cast is a fantastic mix of new and old members. The sassy and fierce singer, Judy Kaye, is Mrs. Lovett, and incredible actor, David Hess, is Sweeney Todd. I'm thrilled to have Ben Magnuson reprising his role as Anthony- it will be so fun and comfortable for both of us. Sadly, my uber talented, and hot boyfriend, Mano Felciano, who played Tobias in the Broadway Revival will not be joining the tour. He will certainly be missed. Edmund Bagnell will be playing Tobias on tour, and though I am biased, I'm sure he'll be awesome too :) Of course everyone from the Original Broadway Cast who's not going on tour will be missed, but this show will have it's own energy and madness. That's what is so cool about Doyle's vision. Each actor brings his or her own unique interpretation to the roles they create.
Here are the other killer cast members:
Keith Buterbaugh - Judge Turpin
Benjamin Eakeley - The Beadle
Katrina Yaukey - Pirelli
Diana DiMarzio - Beggar Woman
John Arbo - Jonas Fogg
After putting away the Sweeney Todd score for eleven months, I finally dusted it off, opened my new red hard Brack cello case, took out my 3/4 size cello and began to navigate Sondheim's music again. I put the ST cast recording in my cd player, and sat with the CD player remote control at my side. I pressed play.
I immediately felt a rush. Ah yes, the opening ballad, I remember this. "It will be like riding a bike", I thought, "it will come right back to me..." I continued to practice, trying not to look at the music for as long as possible, testing my memory of the material. Unfortunately, the music is ridiculously hard, so it didn't last long. I began drilling difficult sections, rewinding my CD player, all the while laughing at myself and saying, "oh my G*d, i used to be able to play this music in my sleep, now I suck." I know all I need is some patience and it will come back.
As I played along with "Johanna" sung by Ben, I began to tear up. It was so beautiful, and I began to vividly remember that moment onstage when he sings to me. I am up atop the coffin, blinding light cloaks us, and I soak in his words whilst rapturously playing the cello. I remember almost fainting onstage at that moment once; I bent my head backward and felt dizzy from the intensity. Fortunately, I didn't pass out during the show. :)
I had to take a break after 3 hours of practicing. My brain was fried. I went back the next day, to tackle the music, and it had surprisingly retained itself in my overwhelmed brain.
I've practiced now 4 days in a row, and I have to say, it's finally coming back. Thank G*d. "Epiphany" is still the hardest piece to play, but I think I'm in a good place by getting a start with the music now. I can't wait to get in the room with the rest of the cast and make some serious music again.
The cast is a fantastic mix of new and old members. The sassy and fierce singer, Judy Kaye, is Mrs. Lovett, and incredible actor, David Hess, is Sweeney Todd. I'm thrilled to have Ben Magnuson reprising his role as Anthony- it will be so fun and comfortable for both of us. Sadly, my uber talented, and hot boyfriend, Mano Felciano, who played Tobias in the Broadway Revival will not be joining the tour. He will certainly be missed. Edmund Bagnell will be playing Tobias on tour, and though I am biased, I'm sure he'll be awesome too :) Of course everyone from the Original Broadway Cast who's not going on tour will be missed, but this show will have it's own energy and madness. That's what is so cool about Doyle's vision. Each actor brings his or her own unique interpretation to the roles they create.
Here are the other killer cast members:
Keith Buterbaugh - Judge Turpin
Benjamin Eakeley - The Beadle
Katrina Yaukey - Pirelli
Diana DiMarzio - Beggar Woman
John Arbo - Jonas Fogg
After putting away the Sweeney Todd score for eleven months, I finally dusted it off, opened my new red hard Brack cello case, took out my 3/4 size cello and began to navigate Sondheim's music again. I put the ST cast recording in my cd player, and sat with the CD player remote control at my side. I pressed play.
I immediately felt a rush. Ah yes, the opening ballad, I remember this. "It will be like riding a bike", I thought, "it will come right back to me..." I continued to practice, trying not to look at the music for as long as possible, testing my memory of the material. Unfortunately, the music is ridiculously hard, so it didn't last long. I began drilling difficult sections, rewinding my CD player, all the while laughing at myself and saying, "oh my G*d, i used to be able to play this music in my sleep, now I suck." I know all I need is some patience and it will come back.
As I played along with "Johanna" sung by Ben, I began to tear up. It was so beautiful, and I began to vividly remember that moment onstage when he sings to me. I am up atop the coffin, blinding light cloaks us, and I soak in his words whilst rapturously playing the cello. I remember almost fainting onstage at that moment once; I bent my head backward and felt dizzy from the intensity. Fortunately, I didn't pass out during the show. :)
I had to take a break after 3 hours of practicing. My brain was fried. I went back the next day, to tackle the music, and it had surprisingly retained itself in my overwhelmed brain.
I've practiced now 4 days in a row, and I have to say, it's finally coming back. Thank G*d. "Epiphany" is still the hardest piece to play, but I think I'm in a good place by getting a start with the music now. I can't wait to get in the room with the rest of the cast and make some serious music again.
posted by Lauren Molina at 8:37 PM
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