Demon barber finds home at Oxnard

After a falling out with its former theatre, “Sweeney Todd,” the popular Steven Sondheim musical, finds a new home at Oxnard College on Feb. 5.

The show will be performed by the Curtain Call Youth Theatre under the direction of Jeff Wallach, with musical direction by Lisa Grafton and Joseph Cisneros. Oxnard College agreed to provide a venue on campus after talking to several representatives from the college.

“‘Sweeney Todd’ is indeed going to be on campus,” said Gwendolyn Lewis-Huddleston, dean of Liberal Arts at O.C.

CCYT first premiered in 2005 with their production of “The Pirates of Penzance.” They draw their actors from the surrounding community, high school and junior colleges. The age range for their current production of “Sweeney Todd” is 14-19-years-old.

The 80-seat lecture forum at Oxnard College is a new venue for CCYT. Despite the challenges of moving to a smaller venue from their previous several-hundred-seat theatre, Wallach remains positive.

“We can’t have the big and grand sets for the show, but that’s okay,” said Wallach. “It is really about the acting anyway.”

The blood and violence in “Sweeney Todd” is unusual for a youth production, but CCYT is making adjustments.

“Actually, the kids pick the show, and they also have their parents approval,” said Wallach. “You may be familiar with the movie that had a lot of blood and gore, but our production has been edited and those aspects will be handled with artistic style.”

Wallach hopes to hold shows in the future at OC and is looking forward to the finalization of the Performing Arts Building on campus. But, for right now, he can’t wait to impress his audiences.

“I tell people that they will really be surprised, the actors are very talented and capable of doing these productions.“Sweeney Todd” will run from Feb. 5-21 in LA6. General admission is $13 and admission is $8 for children, seniors and students with I.D.

Showings are at 8:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 p.m. on Sundays. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended.

Contact curtaincall@aol.com for reservations and more information.