In 1996, director Gabriel Barre cast me as ‘Sweeney’ in the Goodspeed Opera House production of the show; I would be alternating with Timothy Nolen. I loved performing it, and felt completely connected to the part.
Nine years later, in 2005, I received a call from my agent. Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre had called to offer me ‘Sweeney’ in their fall production. I’d been recommended and was being invited, sight unseen. In Seattle I discovered to my delight that we’d be doing the show with the full original orchestrations and a Broadway-size ensemble of the best singers in town– and on the very same set which appears on the Lansbury-Hearn national tour video. David Armstrong directed, and it was the pinnacle of my career.
Then, in 2019, Peter Rothstein called to say he’d be directing the show for the Asolo in Sarasota, and asked if I’d consider playing the role a third time. I realized it would be probably more challenging than ever– but I did want to live with, and in, that character one more time before I aged out. That production, too, was a thrill– and gave me the opportunity to really listen to my fellow singers. I heard things in that magnificent score which I had never heard before.
To play the same role three times over 25 years — and a glorious one at that — was an extraordinary experience.
