Michael Bulato and Tim Setzer
The charismatic acting team of Tim Setzer and Michael Bulatao is once again in action! Setzer and Bulatao reunite for the Napa Valley Conservatory Theater/Music Napa Valley production of Sweeney Todd, playing April 12-22 at Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center. The two actors mesmerized audiences in the 2010 production of Man of La Mancha, with Bulatao as the romantic Don Quixote and Setzer as his loyal squire, Sancho. This time around, Michael Bulatao assays the role of the wronged and vengeful Sweeney Todd, while Tim Setzer plays his foil, the debauched Judge Turpin. NVC Prof. Jennifer King, Napa Valley Conservatory Theater artistic director and director of Sweeney Todd, says of the pair, “Michael and Tim have amazing chemistry. They were a terrific team in Man of La Mancha and are wonderful adversaries in Sweeney Todd.” King is joined by Dr. Eve-Anne Wilkes as music director and Pamela Rogers as choreographer.
Throughout the decades, the story of Sweeney Todd has seen many incarnations in books, movies, plays and radio in addition to this acclaimed musical by Stephen Sondheim. The story began, however, in 1846 as a “penny dreadful” under the name The String of Pearls: A Romance. Penny dreadfuls were lurid stories published in parts as a series, each copy costing the reader a penny. What most versions have in common is a barber who kills his customers and a woman who helps him out, usually making his victims into meat pies. What distinguishes Sondheim’s version is not only the glorious and often terrifying music, but also the terrific humor throughout the play (albeit dark).
Sweeney Todd plays April 12-22 in the main theater at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are $25 general, $20 student/senior/military. For tickets and information, call 707-256-7500 or go online at www.napavalleytheater.org
Posted: 2/16/2012