Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

ANY Hollywood aficionado has an idea of the genius which lies in Tim Burton’s mind. Still, for the director’s numerous lauded projects, he is best known for jumpstarting Johnny Depp’s movie career with Edward Scissorhands. The two worked on several other successful projects and most recently joined forces two years ago with the film version of the Broadway musical Sweeney Todd.

No doubt that it helped greatly having Tim and Johnny’s names attached to it. The musical was first staged in Broadway in 1979 based on the 1973 play of the same name. It tells the story of Benjamin Barker, a barber full of hope of a bright future in London as he starts his new life as a husband to a young woman (Lucy) and a father to a lovely daughter (Johanna). Their bliss are interrupted when Judge Turpin, who desired Lucy, has Benjamin arrested on false charges and forced to relocate. Fifteen years later, Benjamin, now calling himself Sweeney Todd, returns to London to find his long lost family and, of course, to exact revenge on Judge Turpin with the help of Mrs. Lovette and her meatpies. The stage musical won a total of eight Tony Awards and a New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best score and lyrics and is considered by many as one of the greatest musical scores (by Stephen Sondheim) of the 20th century. The leads, Sweeney and Mrs. Lovette, are two of the most unforgettable characters ever to come out of Broadway.

Now, the Broadway stage musical is brought to life by Repertory Philippines starting this Nov. 14 with two of Philippines’ most formidable musical theater artists, Audie Gemora and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo taking on the lead roles. Directed by theater veterans Baby Barredo and Michael Williams and with none other than one of Manila’s illustrious conductors, Gerard Salonga of Filharmonika at the helm of the orchestra, Filipino audiences will surely be entertained from start to finish.

Repertory Philippines first staged the musical back in 1982 and restaged it back in the mid-’90s. "When it came out at the Shang Plaza, it did not make money," Audie reveals in the official Repertory Philippines website. "But for love of musical theatre, it’s the actor’s one big goal," Menchu adds. Those who felt the film was too, well, bloody, for their taste can heave a sigh of relief—Menchu and Audie assure that the play will not be as bloody as the film.

Audie, often dubbed as "The King of Philippine Musical Theater," has worked with several big productions with Repertory Philippines such as A Chorus Line, Evita, West Side Story, Amadeus and Les Miserables. Now, he is looking forward to Sweeney Todd.

"The public should be convinced that the play is a very rich original—a classic masterpiece and is in fact an operetta of Sondheim," he says.

( www.asianjournal.com )

( Published November 13, 2009 in RedCarpet p. 2 )