The rare instance of a musical thriller, Sweeney Todd is a chilling, suspenseful, heart-pounding masterpiece of murderous barber-ism and culinary crime tells the infamous tale of the unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th century London seeking revenge against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. His thirst for blood soon expands to include his unfortunate customers, and the resourceful owner of the pie shop downstairs soon has the people of London lining up in droves for her mysterious new meat pie recipe!

Directed by Tim Dang, East West Players’ second production of this acclaimed show was praised universally for its eerie orchestration, strong leads, killer ensemble, and fine-tuned direction for this production. With a pared down seven-piece orchestra compared to the usually lavish productions of Sweeney, many newspaper mentioned how atmospheric and eerie the music sounded. Of our guttingly good leads, the Daily Breeze wrote “The show’s success hinges on a powerful lead, and Banks is a hit. From the minute he enters the stage, with a powerful stride, fierce eyes and a booming baritone voice, he grabs the audience by their throats and never lets go. Banks’ dark demeanor is softened by Tokuda, whose performance is reminiscent of #AngelaLansbury… Tokuda, through her exaggerated gestures and sarcastic tone, adds a layer of dark comedy to the mix… [Artistic Director Emeritus Tim] Dang successfully increases the intensity by keeping the pace quick and sharp, and by having the ensemble reflect the growing madness that overtakes the title character. By the end, well-choreographed Bedlam has taken control.” This production, originally set to run from February 8 to March 5, 2006, was extended to March 19 with Michael Dalager stepping into the title role.