Chartiers Valley preps for 'Sweeney Todd'

Details “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” runs March 8-11 at 7:30 p.m. at Chartiers Valley High School, 50 Thoms Run Road.Tickets are $10. To purchase them or get more details, visit cvsdtheatre.com.Sign up for one of our email newsletters.Updated...

Chartiers Valley preps for 'Sweeney Todd'

Details

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” runs March 8-11 at 7:30 p.m. at Chartiers Valley High School, 50 Thoms Run Road.

Tickets are $10. To purchase them or get more details, visit cvsdtheatre.com.

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Updated 45 minutes ago

Chartiers Valley High School's production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is different from musicals the school has done in the past, the show's director says.

“We were looking to do something to challenge the kids a bit,” musical producer and director Kim Giffin said. “It lets them branch out to a different type of show.”

The show, which runs March 8 to 11, has what Giffin calls “one of the more challenging scores” and boasts a large cast option.

Many of the students were surprised about doing the show, but it is a high school version, Giffin said. It will still be a change for the community.

“Most people think of the Tim Burton version, which is much more Hollywood than the actual version,” Giffin said. “It gives us a chance to showcase the theater program and be triumphant about pulling it off.”

Senior Devin Moore, who won the a Gene Kelly award for best actor last year, is cast as Sweeney Todd.

Moore is both excited and anxious to take on the role, which is a solid combination of hero and villain.

“He is complex and hard to understand — you don't know if you want to root for him or not,” Moore said. “Each year my roles have been getting a lot more complex. I got to experiment with a darker side than I did in the past.”

Over Moore's four years at Chartiers Valley, the program has expanded and he sees this as “a good way to end four years” as all of the positive changes come together.

The musical ultimately is a combination of the various takes on “Sweeney Todd” — everything from Burton to Broadway.

“It's a culmination of the different distinct qualities,” Moore said. “So with our particular show, you can expect to see the best of everything.”

Rebecca L. Ferraro is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.

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