Coronado Playhouse is thrilled to announce its upcoming production of the Tony Award-winning musical thriller, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This bold and innovative interpretation, directed by the visionary Leah Osterman, promises to be a theatrical experience that will haunt audiences long after the final curtain falls.
Set in 19th-century London, Sweeney Todd tells the tale of a wronged barber who returns to the city to exact his revenge, aided by the resourceful and morally ambiguous Mrs. Lovett. Yet in this production, Osterman shifts the focus, conjuring the story through a distinctly female lens that offers a fresh perspective on the horrors that unfold.
“This conjuring tells a horror story through female eyes,” says Osterman. “These eyes see the restrictions and societal expectations that women and people of all genders face and chafe against. They see how men drunk on their own need for power and dominance can warp individuals in a way that leads to bloody consequences. They see how one person’s inability to let go of an obsession—be it for revenge or love or bringing back what has been lost—can harm everyone they come across. Our production brings back the demons of the past into our present, into the shared space of the Coronado Playhouse, for our terror, delight, and reflection. Do we recognize these ghosts who were once people? Are they spirits we want to welcome into our world, or are they ones we’re finally ready to put to rest?”
Ahead of the current Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd set to tour in 2025, Osterman’s direction promises a visceral and thought-provoking experience, inviting the audience to not only witness the horrors of the past but to consider their relevance in today’s world. The eerie atmosphere, combined with Stephen Sondheim’s unforgettable score, will envelop the Playhouse, making each performance an event to remember.
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
From an Adaptation by Christopher Bond
Directed by Leah Osterman
A musical thriller
Originally Directed On Broadway by Harold Prince
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Originally Produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards in Association with Dean and Judy Manos
Production Note: Contains suggested depictions of graphic violence.
October 11 – November 3, 2024
Thursday-Saturday @ 8pm and Saturday-Sunday @ 2pm
All performances held at Coronado Playhouse, 1835 Strand Way, Coronado
