January 31, 2017
Alright, my dears, here we are about to have our final run-through this afternoon of Sweeney Todd in our Copley rehearsal space before moving across the street onto the Paramount stage tomorrow evening! Considering the sheer length of the piece, it is incredible to have the entire show staged and on its feet by now. Add to that its complexity, and it is all the more a credit to our remarkable principals leading this extraordinary ensemble. Astonishing, the nuanced layers and relationships at play that have been achieved in such a short amount of time. But I know as we begin our cue-to-cue Tech rehearsal on the multi-levels of Jeff Kmiec’s towering set of steps and staircases and balconies, we will begin to experience a whole new show.
Kmiec’s scenic design is mammoth, cavernous and will be lighted by Jesse Klug in a design accentuating scale and the aspect of figures appearing in and out of shadows, haunting and haunted. The cast is in for quite the transformation as they put on their costumes designed by Theresa Ham. The fit and fabric of her design animates character and defines how one moves through space in this realm of a “dark and vengeful god.” As well, there is so much ahead of us unknown to us. But I believe that in this cast we have a foundation established ready to take on the unexpected. The variables, the many moving parts will be revealed new to us, as we meet them head on and welcome them manifest for the first time. My hope is that all of the planning and preliminaries and preparation will set the work free, expressive, resonant and unforgettable.
Keep a good thought. Here we go!
Love & thanks,
Jim
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