Among the Broadway musicals that send chills up the spine, few generate more returning nightmares than Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd.” The tale of a man falsely imprisoned and bent on revenge for the rape and murder of his wife earned a multitude of accolades. Now Wolf Trap Opera Company captures each chilling moment on the Filene Center stage, enhanced by Operascape, a video-based scenic design on a 60-foot screen that hangs above the National Symphony Orchestra.
Bass-baritone Michael Anthony McGee, who performs the title role, was the catalyst for WTOC Director Kim Witman’s decision to include this show in the season schedule.
| Onstage |
| ‘Sweeney Todd’ |
| Where: Filene Center |
| When: 8:15 p.m. Friday |
| Info: $45 to $70 in-house, $20 lawn at 877-965-8727 or wolftrap.org |
“So much of what we do is on the fringe,” she said. “We might have several operas in mind each season, but it ultimately depends on the singers we choose. When Michael auditioned for us in 2009, he sang one of Sweeney’s arias and was freakily good.
“Even though we knew he would be perfect, Mrs. Lovett is the other critical component. There wasn’t anyone to cast in that role until Maggie [mezzo-soprano Margaret Gawrysiak] popped up this season. It had been a dream role of hers so it all came together. Johanna and the other characters are much easier to cast.”
Now in his second season with WTOC, McGee has already proved that he is on his way to a distinctive career. The Dallas native, a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, received intensive training as part of the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program and the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera.
“I’m not the biggest fan of musical theater genre, but ‘Sweeney Todd’ is an exception,” he said. “It has everything: drama, story, music. Maggie and I know each other well. We were in the Seattle program at the same time and collaborated there on several occasions, so doing this show with a friend is special fun.”
As if wielding a “wonderful knife” during the intense rehearsals for “Sweeney Todd” were not sufficiently grueling, he has been leading two lives. One life concluded this past Saturday when he performed the role of Marcello in Rossini’s “La Boheme” at the Castleton Festival.
“Those sleepless nights and double rehearsals were worth it, along with the miles I put on my car commuting between Vienna and Rappahannock County,” he said. “An added benefit is the invitation to accompany Maestro Maazel to Italy next summer.
“Learning what to do and what not to do by observing colleagues and principal artists along the way has been invaluable. That, plus a strong technical foundation, has allowed me to be adventurous. It’s exciting to come to WTOC from a young artist environment and find that we are now the principal artists.”
