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By Lisa Moore
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
From the very first day of the school year, WHS students, teachers, tech crew, pit, and POPS members began the long pre-production work necessary to present the dark comedy and musical thriller “Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
Requiring a collaboration between the drama, technology, choral and music departments, Stephen Wrobleski, Brian McManimon, Kevin McDonald, and Steve Scott all worked together to create a show that highlighted the many talented students involved. Nearly 150 student performers, musicians, and tech crew, worked tirelessly over the last two months, learning the complex musical score, songs, scripts, accents, and stage directions, and creating complex moving sets, props, stage lighting and sound. For those who attended the performances the efforts were obvious with the production quality superseding expectations for a high school performance.
The story of “Sweeney Todd” is a dark tale that comes from an old penny dreadful written in the 1840s. Through the complex lyrics and challenging musical score written by Stephen Sondheim, the audience follows the tale of a barber, Benjamin Barker, his beautiful wife, Lucy, and the harsh journey they go through. The two become victims of a powerful judge that throws the barber in jail on false charges, leaving his young wife and child Joanna alone. The judge later abuses Lucy, who goes mad and ends up living on the streets while he raises Joanna as his ward. After escaping from prison, Benjamin Barker takes on the name Sweeney Todd and returns home to learn the fate of his wife and child. His sole purpose in life is now revenge, and aided by Mrs Lovett, the ever-upbeat pie-maker, Sweeney dispatches his victims with a slit of the throat and lets Mrs. Lovett turn them into meat pies, which she sells to the neighborhood.
While the context of the show is dark - it is a complete 180 degree turn from last year’s fall musical, “Beauty and the Beast” - director Wrobleski views the musical as an important piece of musical theater canon, and felt the students were up to the task of performing it in all its complexity. With intense effort and many hours devoted to perfecting the show, each person involved rose to the occasion and collaboratively put on amazing performances.
Senior Jack Grossi was cast as the lead, Sweeney Todd, and Jackie Scholl as Mrs. Lovett. The two young actors performed at a level beyond their years, playing off of each other with great comedic timing. Backed by a large ensemble cast, a live student orchestra, and a stunning set, show attendees were treated to a Broadway-level performance each show.
On the final evening performance, the entire production showed just how mature and professional they all are. There was a little added drama in the last show when a barber smock was accidentally thrown off mark, landed on stage lights, and ignited. Quick responses by director Wrobleski, and production designer and technical director Brian McManimon, had the flame out in seconds. Unfortunately with the “stage fog” used to set the dreary London scene, the additional smoke set off the fire alarms, forcing an evacuation of the theater. After Wellesley firefighters arrived and vented out the smoke, within 30 minutes everyone returned to the theater for the remainder of the show. Showing maturity and determination, the talented young actors and musicians got right back into character and performed the second act as if nothing had happened, delighting the audience with their wonderful performance.
As the holiday season approaches, Wellesley Performing Arts Department has a full calendar of upcoming events. Visit www.wellesleypops.org to find show dates and times and enjoy an evening of musical entertainment.
