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Vaudeville Revue wades into darker waters with “Sweeney Todd”

Glenwood Vaudeville Revue

The Glenwood Vaudeville Revue typically performs sketch comedy and small songs. This fall, they are trying something a little darker. On Friday, they opened up their production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”. Aspen Public Radio’s Patrick Fort spoke with director John Goss about how his theatre company is changing what they do.

  On performing darker and moodier writing…

“It’s extremely difficult musically, even more than I thought initially...Stephen Sondheim was trying to make a statement with the rhythm and the music and the lyrics to almost make a point to make this a really tough show...It has got so much meat and dirt and grit it. Sondheim throws in these brilliant comedic moments of gore and death.”

 

Mixing the show’s comedy and darkness…

“There are many watered-down versions of ‘Sweeney Todd’ to make it not as edgy or dark or as mature, but we’ve gone in the opposite direction. We’re keeping all the comedy aspects because that’s the brilliance of the show. We’re not pulling away at all from the real darkness of it — the lust, the righteousness and the power.”

 

Patrick Fort grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, nurturing a love for ice hockey and deli sandwiches. After moving to Colorado in 2010 to attend the University of Colorado to study music, Patrick discovered his love for journalism. In 2013, Patrick created and hosted the award-winning radio program Colorado Stories, a news program that covered CU and the surrounding community. An avid mountain and road cyclist, Patrick also referees youth ice hockey. He loves '60s pop bands and and trying new recipes ranging from milk-braised carnitas to flourless cakes.