Submitted
The time is here at last, the first ever collaborative production by Actors Theatre of Indiana (ATI) and Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO).
Winner of the 1979 Tony Award for Best Musical, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will be performed at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 21 and 22. Under the musical direction of CSO Maestro Janna Hymes, this fully-staged spectacle will feature ATI co-founders Don Farrell as Sweeney Todd, Judy Fitzgerald as Mrs. Lovett and Cynthia Collins as Beggar Woman.
Called a tasty, thrilling theatrical treat, Sweeney Todd has simultaneously shocked, awed and delighted audiences across the world. It is an infamous tale of an unjustly exiled barber returning to London to seek revenge on the judge who framed him. Lush, operatic and full of soaring beauty, pitch-black comedy and stunning terror, it is one of the signal achievements of the American Musical Theatre in the last 50 years.
Building on ATI’s highly successful 2015-16 production, Sweeney Todd will be directed by Richard J Roberts and feature the Carmel Symphony Orchestra using original Broadway orchestrations under the direction of Hymes.
In addition to Farrell, Fitzgerald and Collins, players include Elizabeth Hutson (Johanna), Matthew Conwell (Anthony), Tim Fullerton (Judge Turpin), David Cunningham (Tobias), Mario Almonte III (Pirelli), Michael Elliott (Beadle), Rory Shivers-Brimm (Jonas Fogg) and Karaline Feller (Bird Seller).
Never before have the Actors Theatre of Indiana and the Carmel Symphony Orchestra performed together. (Photo provided)
Actors Theatre of Indiana and the Carmel Symphony Orchestra are thrilled to be joined by a talented 80-member chorus facilitated by the Indianapolis Arts Chorale in this presentation of Sweeney Todd.
“Collaborating with other arts organization is one of the ways we continue to present exciting, unique, entertaining and relevant works to the community”, said CSO Music Director Janna Hymes. “We are very excited to be working this year with ATI and trust our audience will love it as well.”
“Here is a show that, in the heartland of capitalism, attacks greed and exploitation,” added ATI Artistic Director Don Farrell. “Its hero is not a sympathetic compassionate, but a vengeful barber turned serial killer. And, musically, it is so sophisticated. Sondheim’s score for Sweeney Todd is one of his richest and most complicated, while the subject matter provides its own weight as an unusual plot for a Broadway musical.”
Tickets are available now at the Center for the Performing Arts box office or through the Center for the Performing Arts, ATI and CSO websites.
About Actors Theatre of Indiana
Actors Theatre of Indiana was co-founded in 2005 by Cynthia Collins, Don Farrell and Judy Fitzgerald with a mission to celebrate the power of theatre and contribute to life in Central Indiana by offering high quality professional theatre performances and programs that engage, inspire, educate and entertain. One of only four Equity Theatre companies in Central Indiana, Actors Theatre of Indiana is the resident professional theatre company of The Studio Theater at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel and has provided 14 seasons of high-powered musical theater productions, world premieres and innovative community works. Visit atistage.org for more information.
About the Carmel Symphony Orchestra
Believing that music has the power to change lives, the Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is the resident orchestra at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. Founded in 1975, the CSO is comprised of 85 professional and passionate musicians who perform an eclectic repertoire of the world’s greatest symphonic music. The CSO is committed to enhancing the community’s quality of life by offering creative, artistically excellent performances and educational experiences to diverse audiences of all ages. Janna Hymes serves as Music Director and Jeanelle Adamak as Executive Director. For more information, visit CarmelSymphony.org.