Carol Dunne, Raymond J. Lee & More Join Bradley Dean in SWEENEY TODD: IN CONCERT at Northern Stage
Bradley Dean stars as the demon barber at the Byrne Theater in White River Junction, VT.
Northern Stage has announced casting for Sweeney Todd: In Concert, the first production in its newly launched Northern Stage: In Concert series. Featuring Broadway veteran Bradley Dean in the title role and a cast of acclaimed musical theater performers from Broadway, national tours, and regional stages across the country, the production runs August 12th through 16th in the Byrne Theater at the Barrette Center for the Arts.
Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's legendary musical thriller will be presented in a concert format that places the score front and center, while still performing the complete musical with a full cast, live orchestra, and community chorus.
Leading the cast as the vengeful barber Sweeney Todd is Broadway actor Bradley Dean, whose extensive credits include The Phantom of the Opera, Company, Evita, Doctor Zhivago, The Last Ship, Spamalot, A Little Night Music, Dear Evan Hansen, and the acclaimed Broadway revival of Chess, where his performance as Alexander Molokov earned widespread praise.
Joining Dean as the resourceful pie shop owner, Mrs. Lovett is Northern Stage Producing Artistic Director Carol Dunne. Since taking the helm at Northern Stage in 2013, she has overseen the company's transformation into one of northern New England's leading professional theaters. As a performer, Dunne's credits include Side Show, Proof, Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Cleveland Play House), Fallen Angels and Blithe Spirit (Great Lakes Theater Festival), as well as many shows at Northern Stage including Grizabella in CATS, Woman 2 in Songs for a New World, Agnes in Dancing at Lughnasa, Diana in Lend me a Tenor, and Amanda in Private Lives.
The cast also features Riley Noland as Johanna. Northern Stage audiences will remember Noland from her celebrated performance as Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. She currently appears as one of the featured Christines in Masquerade, the immersive reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera, and previously portrayed Johanna in Sweeney Todd at The Muny.
Broadway veteran Raymond J. Lee appears as the flamboyant barber Adolfo Pirelli. Lee's Broadway credits include Aladdin, Anything Goes, Groundhog Day, Honeymoon in Vegas, and Mamma Mia!, with additional film and television appearances in Marriage Story, Succession, Billions, Smash, and Red Oaks.
Robert Jensen appears as the formidable Judge Turpin. A Broadway veteran, Jensen's credits include Jekyll & Hyde (standby for the title role), Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Secret Garden, The Red Shoes, and the pre-Broadway production of Parade directed by Hal Prince. In addition to numerous national tours and regional productions, Jensen has long been a familiar presence on Upper Valley stages, with many appearances at Vermont's Weston Theater Company.
Beloved Northern Stage favorite Susan Haefner takes on the role of the Beggar Woman. Haefner has appeared on Broadway in State Fair, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and 42nd Street, and was most recently seen by Northern Stage audiences in the company's hit production of Come From Away.
The cast also includes J. Bailey Burcham as Beadle Bamford, recently seen as Oz in Come From Away at Northern Stage, and Alex Hoyt as Tobias Ragg. Hoyt is a graduate of Northern Stage's BridgeUP: Theater in the Schools program and currently studies at New York University, making his professional debut with the company.
The production will be directed by Kevin David Thomas. A Broadway performer and educator, Thomas appeared in Sir Trevor Nunn's Broadway revival of A Little Night Music and the first Broadway revival of Les Misérables. He currently serves as Northern Stage's Co-Director of Education.
"We wanted to launch this series with a musical that audiences know and love, performed by artists capable of honoring every nuance of Sondheim's extraordinary score," said Thomas. "Sweeney Todd is one of the greatest musicals ever written. Experiencing it in this format allows audiences to focus on the music, the lyrics, and the storytelling in a uniquely powerful way."
In addition to its professional cast, Sweeney Todd: In Concert will feature a community chorus made up of members and friends of the Northern Stage community, including longtime Northern Stage supporters, volunteers, students, parents, board members, and community advocates. Chorus participants include Paul Ashton, Mike Batusic, Elizabeth Chambers, Samuel Empey, Margaret Finley, Sam Harrison, Sophie Kastner, Cara Mackey, Tate Mosenthal, Monet Nowlan, Jaclyn Pageau, and Noah Schutzius.
Northern Stage: In Concert is a new series designed to celebrate some of the most iconic scores in musical theater history. Presented with limited staging and stripped-down production elements, these performances place the music and storytelling at the forefront while preserving the complete musical experience.
Few musicals are more suited to the format than Sweeney Todd. Since its 1979 premiere, the musical has become one of the most celebrated works in the American theater canon, earning eight Tony Awards and inspiring generations of performers, directors, and audiences with its haunting score and darkly comic tale of revenge.
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