Special to the Sun
Back Bay actors, Joy Clark, Eva Colliou, Ana Viveros, Alan Cid, and Klara LaGuardia, star in Moonbox Productions’ upcoming production of the Tony-Award-winning musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler. Directed and co-produced by Ryan Mardesich with musical direction by Dan Ryan and choreography by Joy Clark, Sweeney Todd opens October 13th and runs through November 5th at the new Arrow Street Arts performance venue located at 2 Arrow Street in Cambridge. Tickets are $65 with Pay-What-You-Wish options available at www.arrowstarts.org.
Moonbox Productions’ Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a Brechtian take on this Sondheim classic. After being wrongfully imprisoned by the corrupt justice system, Sweeney Todd returns home to London to seek his revenge and save his daughter, Johanna. Aided by his meat-pie baking neighbor Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney comes to a much darker conclusion – we all deserve to die. Together, they wreak havoc on Fleet Street and serve up the hottest – and most unsettling – pies in London. Witness Moonbox’s new take on the modern myth, the parable of power, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
The cast of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street includes Davron Monroe* (Sweeney Todd), Joy Clark* (Mrs. Lovett), Caitlin Zerra Rose (Beggar Woman), Todd Yard (Judge), Meagan Lewis-Michelson (Beadle), Ethan DePuy (Pirelli/Fogg), Eli Douglas (Toby), Dallas Austin Jimmar (Anthony), Eva Colliou (Johanna), Ana Viveros (Ensemble), Ciaran D’Hondt (Ensemble), Abigail Whitney Smith (Ensemble), Alexander Lyons (Ensemble), Tim Lawton (Ensemble), Todd McNeel Jr. (Ensemble), Alan Cid (Swing), Brandon Lee (Swing), and Klara La Guardia (Swing). (*Member of Actors’ Equity Association)
Sweeney Todd will be the first presentation at Arrow Street Arts’ renovated and expanded venue in Harvard Square. The venue is in the midst of a major renovation, and Moonbox, a resident company at ASA, will produce the musical during a break in the construction schedule. The facility’s full opening is planned for Spring 2024.
“What an exciting way to kick off our thirteenth season!” says Producer Sharman Altshuler. “Sweeney Todd is such an exceptional piece of musical theater, and to be able to present it during the Halloween season is especially thrilling! Deepest thanks to Arrow Street Arts for pausing their renovations to let us present this show in their fabulous black box space – a perfect spot for this production, and a great opportunity for the community to get a sneak peek into this renovated venue, which will be an incredible asset to the arts community in and around Cambridge,” said Altshuler.
The creative and design team includes Sharman Altshuler (Producer), Ryan Mardesich (Director/Co-Producer), Sarah Muirhead (Assistant Director), Dan Ryan (Music Director), Catherine Stornetta (Assistant Music Director), Joy Clark (Choreographer), Amelia Estrada (Assistant Choreographer), Anna Hanh* (Production Stage Manager), Cameron McEachern (Set Design), Diego Farrell (Technical Director), Rebecca Glick (Costume Designer), Kat Zhou (Lighting Designer), James Cannon (Sound Designer), Jessie Marasco (Production Electrician), Lauren Corcuera (Props Designer), Margaret Clark (Fight Choreographer), Courtney Mohler (Dramaturg), Ashleigh Reade (Dialect Coach), Kailey Bennett (Production Manager/COVID Safety Manager), and Katie Smith (Assistant COVID Safety Manager).
With each show, Moonbox Productions partners with a local non-profit, to raise awareness for their cause, create connections for them within the community, and increase the reach and impact of their work. For the production of Sweeney Todd, Moonbox will be partnering with New England Innocence Project (NEIP).
New England Innocence Project corrects and prevents wrongful convictions and fights injustice within the criminal legal system for innocent people imprisoned for a crime they did not commit in New England. NEIP provides free forensic testing, investigation, experts, and an experienced legal team to exonerate the innocent and bring them home to their loved ones. The organization provides exoneree support as they work to rebuild their lives in freedom through the peer-led Exoneree Network and also uses their expertise about wrongful convictions to provide education and advocate for legislative and judicial reforms to prevent future tragedies.
For more information regarding Moonbox Productions upcoming production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street go to www.moonboxproductions.org.