On Nov. 3, 5, and 6 the Pleasant Valley drama department performed the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Lots of hard work and long hours went into Sweeney Todd since the start of production in August, so it was nice to see everything pay off during the performances.

Sweeney Todd is a musical not a lot of schools are able to do, but PV pulled it off successfully. Katie Bullock, sophomore and ensemble member, said, “One huge reason our school was able to pull Sweeney off is because of how vocally talented our theatre program is. We also know that one of our strengths is dark shows. Last year when we performed 6 Characters, it really showcased the acting talent here at PV and Sweeney sort of carried over from that.”

One of the biggest strengths of the show was the ensemble, every member was completely engaged the entire time and it really added to the performance. Sally Walker, senior and ensemble member, said, “The fact that our ensemble was so strong musically and extremely talented acting wise made the show be as good as it was.”

Although the show was such a success there is no doubt it was challenging for the cast. Bullock said, “The most challenging part of this show as an actor was definitely the vocals. The acting wasn’t too difficult to execute and the dancing aspect was almost nonexistent but the vocals definitely challenged and pushed all of us.”

Sweeney Todd was a great display of the talent that PV has and was a joy to watch for all who attended. Some audience members even mentioned they had forgotten they were watching a high school production because the talent was so great. Congratulations to all the cast and crew who worked so hard to make this show a success.