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| Lea Salonga and Jet Pangan in a scene from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Image Source: PhilStar.com/Atlantis Theatrical) |
After
a successful run in the Philippines last October, the Atlantis Theatrical
Entertainment Group's staging of Stephen Sondheim's musical thriller
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street made its way to the Lion
City at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre in Singapore where Tony and Olivier
award-winning Broadway actress Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon) and OPM legend Jet Pangan
sinking their teeth into the role of Mrs. Lovett and the barber Sweeney Todd
respectively.
Aside
from Salonga and Pangan, other Filipino talents and artists working on the
production of the thrilling theatrical treat include Rajo Laurel for the
costumes and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra with Gerard Salonga as conductor
and musical director. Meanwhile, the play's creative team comprises of Tony
award-winning set designer David Gallo, lighting designer Aaron Porter and sound
designer Justin Stasiw. Directed by Bobby Garcia (God of Carnage, Avenue Q,
Rent), the musical is a bold reimagining of Stephen Sondheim's renouned classic
masterpiece which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Sweeney
Todd was a worldwide success in the theatrical scene since being awarded eight
Tony Awards including Best Musical for its Broadway premiere as well as the
Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Its Broadway revival went on to win two more
Tony Awards taking its total up to 10. Written and composed by the legendary
Stephen Sondheim who has won eight Grammy Awards, eight Tony Awards, an Academy
Award, a Pulitzer Prize and a Lawrence Olivier Award throughout his career,
Sweeney Todd is an infamous tale of an unjustly accused barber who returns from
exile seeking vengeance against the lecherous Judge Turpin who framed him. The
road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful owner of a failing pie
shop. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the
integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that have people lining up.
Those
who have missed Sweeney Todd's run in the Philippines have assumingly flew themselves
to Singapore just to enjoy one among the play's series of shows that was held throughout
the month of November, and it would seem that even theater lovers in Singapore
and from different parts of the world have enjoyed every bit of the story
infused into the play as if it came to life in front of them. Credited to the
successful first-time staging of Atlantis Theatricals Sweeney Todd: The Demon
Barber of Fleet Street in Singapore is the Singapore Repertoire Theatre (SRT) headed
by Artistic Director Gaurav Kripalani which considered Lea's role as Lovett as the
best performance he has seen in 25 years.
