Auditions for Sweeney Todd at Chanticleer Theater
January 10th & 12 7:00 PM
Location: 830 Franklin Ave, Council Bluffs, IA
Production Dates March 11-30
Rehearsals begin Sunday, January 17
Audition Material Needed (ex: cold readings, contrasting monologues, prepared song, dance, etc.)
Please prepare 16-32 bars of a song and bring music for the accompanist – no a cappella, please , no dance audition is required
Show Summary
One of the darkest musicals ever written, Sweeney Todd: A Musical Thriller is the unsettling tale of a Victorian-era barber who returns home to London after fifteen years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who ruined his life. When revenge eludes him, Sweeney swears vengeance on the entire human race, murdering as many people as he can, while his business associate, Mrs. Lovett, bakes the bodies into meat pies and sells them to the unsuspecting public. Perhaps composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s most perfect score, Sweeney Todd is lush, operatic, and full of soaring beauty, pitch-black comedy and stunning terror. It’s one of the signal achievements of the American musical theater of the last fifty years, and it’s the high water mark of Sondheim’s six remarkable collaborations with director Harold Prince.
- Contact Information: Please email laureen.pickle@cox.net with questions
Stage & Music Director: D. Laureen Pickle
Asst. Director: Mark Reid
Stage Manager: Jamie Jareke
Detailed Character Descriptions: - Sweeney Todd/Benjamin Barker (Bass/Baritone F2 – Gb4, 30 – 50) A man consumed by revenge after his wife is kidnapped and raped, and he is wrongly convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
- Mrs. Nellie Lovett (Alto/Mezzo G3 – E5, Cockney accent, moves well, 30 – 50) An amoral, pragmatic seller of meat pies. She lusts after Todd. A very high-energy role.
- Joanna Barker (Soprano C3 – Bb5 , 15 – 25) Benjamin Barker’s daughter, a ward of Judge Turpin. Beautiful and pure-hearted.Anthony Hope (Tenor or Bari-tenor, Ab2 – F#4, 18 -30) A good-natured, optimistic& naive young sailor.
- Beggar Woman/Lucy Barker (Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano Ab3 – F5, 25 – 40) Barker’s wife, who he believes to be dead. Schizophrenic personality ranging from pathetic to crudely suggestive.
- Judge Turpin (Bass/Baritone E2 – F#4, 40 – 60) A lustful, immoral, power-hungry man. Twists the law to suit himself.
- Beadle Bamford (Tenor D3 – D5, 35 – 50) Judge Turpin’s partner in crime. “A bully with a thin veneer of gentility.”
- Adolfo Pirelli/Danny O’Higgins (Tenor B2 – C5, 30 – 50) A charlatan who claims to be “the king of the barbers, the barber of kings.” Must be able to use both rich Italian and rough Irish dialects. A very high operatic style tenor role.
- Tobias Ragg (Tenor or unchanged voice Bb2 – A4, looks 13-25) Pirelli’s young, simple, and kind-hearted assistant. Will hear both younger boys aged 12 and older, or men aged 17 and older
- Ensemble: A wide variety of roles will come from the ensemble. Ensemble members must have strong, trained voices and good musicianship. The Ensemble is the key to success for this production, and many solo opportunities are available.
Chris' Corner 