Village Players to put on ‘Sweeney Todd’

WOLFBORO — Rarely performed by community theaters, Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is in final rehearsals before opening Friday, Oct. 31, on The Village Players’ stage. Actors and crew from all over the state travel up to an hour three times a week to rehearse the challenging music of Sondheim and the unforgiving lyrics of Hugh Wheeler.

Acting as mentor to director and Village Players’ president Paul Stewart, veteran director Kathleen Hill said she has rarely seen a cast more focused and responsive, “If you say ‘hold your hands high on that final lyric,’ every hand is in the air the next run through and every time after that.”

Anna Loos, a member of the ensemble and a birdseller who carries a horrendously heavy prop of birdcages, said her hour-long commute is worth it because, “The show has a fantastic mix of darkness and humor. The intensity of the plot and the music hooks you in, while the comedic moments and the beauty of the score keeps the experience enjoyable. The music in the show is absolutely beautiful and so complex. I felt like I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't try to be a part of it in some way.”

Laura Braley, who plays young Lucy and a balladeer, agrees about her 45- minute commute, “I wanted to audition for Sweeney because the music is incredible — challenging but so rewarding. I also love that it’s so seasonally appropriate … the darkness … is difficult but meaningful. It isn’t just about a scary lunatic. It’s about what happens to our lives when we lean too far into revenge, and about the people society writes off as unimportant who often also see things the most clearly.

“I am new to the Village Players, but I had heard wonderful things about the team from friends and colleagues. I also knew that Sweeney is the kind of show that actors come out of the woodwork to produce, which turned out to be true … we get to spend time with other artists from all over the state and celebrate our craft.”

The show runs Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 9. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays will be at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday shows will be at 2 p.m. For more information, visit village-players.com.