Sweeney Todd August 11 - October 9, 2011 at Drury Lane

Sweeney Todd    August 11 - October 9, 2011 Directed By: Rachel Rockwell
Choreographed By: Rachel Rockwell

Stephen Sondheim’s haunting musical thriller has been hailed "the greatest musical of the past half-century” by the Wall Street Journal. Sophisticated and uncompromising, “Sweeney Todd” has a great sense of fun, mixing intense drama with howlingly funny moments of dark humor. You will find yourself laughing hysterically one moment and gasping in surprise the next.

Ok, seriously this show is so totally different than anything I've seen before.  I knew nothing really of the story when I entered the theater (which is beautiful by the way and doesn't contain a single bad seat).  It quickly became obvious that this show has a bit of a cult following so I may have been one of very few who were not really sure what we were in for.  I knew only that it was a "dark" show and to be honest, I gave some thought to my attendance before excepting the invite.  But I figured you never know until you try, right?  Well, I am so glad I did.  I was a great show!  It was dark, so if you're looking for happily ever after, this is NOT the show for you.  There is no happy ending, for ANYONE in this musical.  But if you enjoy suspense and dark humor, you should check it out.

I was a little worried about the gore factor in the production because I watch medical dramas through my squinted eyes, asking my husband if it's "done yet" when there are bloody scenes.  I was thankful that there was no blood involved in this show at all but rather suspense and "implied" blood.  The music and the well timed acting left you gasping at scenes even when you logically knew what was about to happen.  

I thoroughly enjoyed the show (and the company, fellow blogger Megryansmom).  

And while it should probably go without saying, I'll say it just to be sure, this show is NOT family friendly.  It is not for kids, of any age.  This play includes references to rape, incest, murder and other mature topics.

The performance schedule for SWEENEY TODD is as follows:  Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35), Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35) and 8 p.m. ($40), Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ($45), Saturdays at 5 p.m. ($45) and 8:30 p.m. ($46) and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. ($45) and 6 p.m. ($40).  Lunch and dinner theater packages range from $49.75 to $68 depending on the day of the week.  Student tickets start as low as $20 and Senior Citizen tickets start as low as $29 for matinees and $43.75 for a matinee luncheon package.  

For reservations, call the Drury Lane Theatre box office at 630.530.0111, call TicketMaster at 800.745.3000, or visit www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.

Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary tickets courtesy of Drury Lane for review purposes.  I was not compensated for a positive review.