The Demon Barber

The darkly delicious tale of Sweeney Todd infused with music performed live by Michael Marra.

Welcome to 18th century London. Need a shave or a haircut?  Is that a boil needing lanced? The city’s greatest barber surgeon is waiting here at your pleasure. His shop may be small, but he’s got racks crammed with scissors and razors still warm to the touch.

The Demon Barber is a collaboration between Perth Theatre’s Associate Creative Director, Graham McLaren, and singer/songwriter, Michael Marra. The Demon Barber is a darkly comic take on the tale of Fleet Street’s most notorious felon, Sweeney Todd.

There are spit-covered jars with freshly pulled teeth and pots full of blood he’s just let. He has wigs made of skin and real human hair and a black fingernail mirrored comb. And there for your comfort and ease is a lone barber’s chair. Please ignore the stench rising up from that creaky trap door and observe over here, attracting the flies, cooling down by the window a fresh meat pie.

Accompanied by two other seasoned musicians, Michael Marra will play and sing live at each performance of the run which begins on 9 November, setting the tone for this atmospheric piece with his unmistakeably gravely voice and biting lyrics.

Director Graham McLaren explains 'I always thought the Sweeney Todd story had been a missed opportunity. Nobody seemed to have seen it as funny as I, so I began to think that there was scope to do a lot more with it. I wanted it to feel like an old play in its structure and dark characters and through its evolution in workshops I think that’s what we’ve got.'

If you like your comedy dark and your music macabre come along to be surprised and delighted with a specially commissioned production that will re-tell the tale of Sweeney Todd who robbed and murdered his victims, baked them in a pie then sold them back to their loved ones. 9 - 24 November 2007 Perth Theatre - box office 0845 612 6324 or visit Perth Theatre's website.