Tony Winner David Gallo To Design the Set of SWEENEY TODD; Show Opens 10/11

Manila, Philippines--Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is thrilled to announce that Tony Award-winning set designer David Gallo will return to Manila to design sets for the company's highly-anticipated staging of SWEENEY TODD, starring Tony and Olivier Award winner Lea Salonga and Jett Pangan.

He says, "One of the great things about SWEENEY TODD is the infinite ways the show can be done. The style and approach to the piece can be anything imaginable. The joy of this production is our director [Bobby Garcia] has quite an imagination!"

Gallo has designed over 30 Broadway productions including "Memphis," "First Date," "The Drowsy Chaperone" (Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical), "Gem of the Ocean," "Radio Golf," "The Mountaintop," "Reasons to be Pretty," "Xanadu," "Company," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," and "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." He also creates innovative scenic and media design for television, concerts, and events. He is also the production designer for the television show "Sesame Street" (Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design) and creative director for jam band Phish's New Year's Eve extravaganzas. His work for "Blue Man Group" has been seen by millions, and the "Illusionarium: he created for Norwegian Cruise Line was a pioneer in immersive entertainment venues. His work for Stage Entertainment, Disney, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon, PBS, Atlantis, S2BN, and others is seen daily in a dozen cities worldwide. The Smithsonian Institution Archive and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame own samples of his work.

SWEENEY TODD will mark Gallo's fifth collaboration with Garcia, having worked together before in "Nine," "Saturday Night Fever," "Waitress," and Broadway Asia's tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella."

Asked what keeps him coming back to the Philippines, Gallo had this to say, "Great country. Great people. Great theater. And a great director. Bobby always has a clear vision for each of his productions. That allows my work in the Philippines to challenge me. And I love a good challenge! For 20 years, Atlantis has produced wonderful work. And it's an honor to return again and again to be a part of that."

Garcia says, "It was important to me to once again work with the genius that is David Gallo on our 20th anniversary. He has been a remarkable collaborator and a great friend through the years. And what better a piece to work on together than SWEENEY TODD. We have so many exciting ideas that we are exploring and we hope to create a distinct environment much like Hitchcock did with his films."

Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's musical masterpiece SWEENEY TODD has become a bloody, worldwide success since being awarded eight Tony Awards, (including Best Musical), for its Broadway premiere, as well as the Oliver Award for Best New Musical. SWEENEY TODD is a tasty, thrilling, theatrical treat, which has simultaneously shocked, awed, and delighted audiences across the world. The Broadway revival went on to win two more Tony Awards taking its total up to 10 Tony Awards. 2019 also marks the 40th anniversary of the musical, having first opened on Broadway in 1979. Joining Salonga and Pangan in the cast are former "Miss Saigon" cast member Ima Castro and world-renowned baritone Andrew Fernando.

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET runs from October 11 - 27, 2019 at the Theatre At Solaire, Parañaque City. Get tickets at TicketWorld.com.ph.

Photo: Walter McBride