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Arts & Entertainment

Halloween Style Fun with Sweeney Todd

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opens this weekend and runs to mid-November.

Halloween scares come in all shapes and sizes. Some of us prefer plain old haunted houses. Zombies are particularly trendy these days. And teenage girls have their sparkly vampires.

But for fans of musical theater, nothing tops a barber.

Not just any barber, of course. The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Better known to most as Sweeney Todd.

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Appropriately enough, “” opens at Playhouse 22, East Brunswick’s Community Theater on Cranbury Road, on Friday, Oct. 28, just in time for the Halloween season.

The musical, based on a 1973 play of the same name by Christopher Bond, was written in 1979, with music and lyrics credited to Stephen Sondheim and libretto to Hugh Wheeler. It tells the tale of Benjamin Barker, who comes home to London after spending 15 years in a penal colony on trumped up charges. Upon learning that his wife committed suicide after being raped by the very judge who wrongly imprisoned him, Barker assumes the alias of Sweeney Todd and vows revenge.

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Mark Kalet, the director of Playhouse 22’s journey into the dark world of this vengeful hairdresser, can’t wait. “It’s always been my favorite Sondheim,” he said, “Because of it’s dark humor and rich music.”

It is a change of pace for Kalet, whose most recent directorial effort was “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at the Villagers Theater in Franklin. He has also directed “Jewtopia,” “Beyond Therapy” and “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” for Playhouse 22.

“This is my first time directing Sondheim,” said Kalet, “But I’ve acted in several of his shows, most notably Sweeney Todd 25 years ago for the Young Adult Summer Drama Group.  I approach all plays the same way, working from the script out.  For a musical, I listen to the music and try to visualize the scenes before I read, or if it’s something I’m familiar with, reread the script, because I find it leads to more original staging than just aping the original Broadway production.”

One problem Kalet didn’t face was a scarcity of actors. “Most of the (casting) decisions were incredibly tough,” he said.  “I had 90 wonderful people audition and had to choose 30.  I had to see who could project the varying degrees of humor and darkness the show calls for.  I’ve never had to take four days after callbacks to cast a show, but they were so good.  It’s rare to be in that position, too many great actors for each role.”

The cast isn’t the only thing of considerable size related to the show.

“This may be the biggest collective set we’ve ever used on this stage,” Kalet said. “With the pie shop, the courtroom, Judge’s house, the walkway, there’s a lot going on here.  We’re using the side walkways of the theater, we’re on the apron, we’re in the audience.  The plan here was to make it an immersive experience, without getting blood on the audience. It’s not a Gallagher concert, after all.

“This is a huge show with a big cast but I have the best crew around and any problems we have they can handle.”

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” opens Friday, Oct. 28 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 13 at the , 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $22 for Adults and $20 for seniors and students, with group rates available. For more information, visit the theater at www.playhouse22.org or call 732-254-3939.

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