Urban Decay

Some images of urban decay. I like these images because they have very muted colors overall. Particularly the two 'theaters' that are covered in a fine white layer of dust. However, because of these muted tones, some things really pop out, such as the red chair or the woman in the red dress.

The Executioner's Block

Today I've been looking at some images of the executioners block at the Tower of London. I find it fascinating, the simplicity that surrounds the execution process. The last two images are of the original executioners block and the memorial that now stands in its place. Just some food for thought.

The Lights on Fleet Street

I'd love for the atmosphere of Fleet Street to be shrouded in gas light. Slightly tonally shifted from natural lighting, gas lighting should coat each person with a sickly pallor. Below are three images, the most iconic stolen from the Excorcist, which captured a similarly eery tone on film.

You can read about gas lighting in theater here: http://www.compulite.com/stagelight/html/history-4/history-4-text.html

The Poor & Destitute

The ensemble of our players will make up the poor, the beggar class. Through oppression, men, like the Judge and the Beadle, have forced others into this class, people like Benjamin Barker, Lucy, and Mrs. Lovett. 

These people should be a part of the 'unwashed masses.' Often as a part of their oppression they have been abused and imprisoned, their infirmities often stretch beyond tattered clothes, and include physical ailments.

The Judge & The Beadle

The Judge and the Beadle represent the upper class, the oppressors of London. Before our play begins, these two men imprison and export Benjamin Barker to Australia. After he is shipped away, they plot to seduce and then rape his wife Lucy. The Judge leaves Lucy for dead and takes in her daughter, eventually coming to lust after her, as well. They exploit their power and position to hurt those with not strength to stop them.

I'd like their outfits to express their decadence, their lust, and their status. You'll see below that judges robes of the time were often red, I LOVE this. It seems decadent, not conservative, and red is a color often associated with violence and lust.

The Fleet Street Dragon

This is an incredible statue that haunts Fleet Street:

Fleet Street

I've spent some time looking at images of Fleet Street, the home of Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop & Sweeney Todd's tonsorial parlor. These are some beautiful examples of the architecture of the time.

Welcome to Sweeney Todd!

To get us started I wanted to throw out some broad concept ideas, and how I hope they'll work with the orchestrations. These thoughts are my concept of Sweeney, and they will be key to my direction. My hope is that they also help you in designing and conceiving this show. 

For me Sweeney Todd is a horror story based around themes of class oppression & injustice. 

The setting for Todd is one of the grungiest and grimiest sections of London in the 1800's, a place where the outcasts and criminals mingle, away from the high society of the Judge, the Beadle and Joanna. The homeless and destitute will constitute the ensemble of Todd, and within this group we will find the Beggar Woman, Pirrelli, Toby, and our other features parts. 

Todd himself is the embodiment of the disenfranchised, abused to the point of madness. The fulfillment of this insanity is his murder of his wife (Beggar Woman), his lover (Lovett), and the attempted murder of his daughter (Lucy). Lovett is the embodiment of the delusion of social mobility. She uses the same lies and deceit of the upper class to try and become respectable. 

What does all this mean?

For the music, I would like to pursue a pared down sound similar the 2005 revival cast. In my mind this is a jazz style quintet that features a piano, bass, percussion, and then brass, wind or additional string accompaniment. I am aware this may not be feasible, but I would like to spend some time exploring it with a musical director.

You can see the 2005 revival cast with their instruments, towards the bottom of this page: http://www.sondheimguide.com/sweeney.html

You can listen to the recording on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF8036DFA44AE4871

For Set, I would like to attempt a unit set that represents the streets of London, particularly Fleet Street. I do believe that a working chair is essential to Sweeney, but I have some thoughts on how to achieve this simply. I have a number of images that I can share, is there a preferred way to pass this information on? I have worked with production blogs, Google drive, Dropbox, and various other systems, so just let me know what works. 

Relating to set & musicians, I would like the musicians to be present onstage throughout the show. Ideally as a sort of street band. 

As we put together the creative team, I'd love to work with people interested in realizing these concepts. I hope this helps! 

Best,

Dusty Brown