Attend The Tale Of Sweeney Todd

Hello everyone! Oh my goodness! I haven't posted since August! I have missed blogging. I notice a considerably different level of stress on my shoulders when I am not blogging. The problem is that I simply cannot find time in the day to post!

Just a shot from rehearsal, Corey Wilkey as Anthony Hope,
performing Johanna in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon
Barber of Fleet Street" at Midvale Main Street Theatre
Photo by Shaun Mitchell

Last I posted an update on my life, I told you all that I was now living in Salt Lake City! :) That was the happiest post for a long time, because I was simply ecstatic to finally be back home. Since then, I have found myself a very nice paying job (literally making more in a week of work than an entire month of work at Planet Fitness), moved into an apartment in the downtown district of Salt Lake (I had previously temporarily moved in with a friend in his apartment in Murray, a suburb of Salt Lake), and been cast in my first show since Tuacahn!

For the last week, and the next week and a half, I am making my Midvale Main Street Theatre premier in their production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street! This is one of all time favorite musicals, written by the absolutely BRILLIANT Steven Sondheim! It's dark, foreboding and brooding, all of which are perfect for a Halloween-time production. The supporting lead character, Anthony Hope, has been a dream role of mine ever since I first saw the show years ago, and I am privileged enough to be cast as Anthony with such an amazing cat, and sing perhaps one of the show's most famous musical numbers, "Johanna," multiple times each night.

Backstage at Midvale Main Street
Theatre's "Sweeney Todd: The
Demon Barber of Fleet Street."
Corey Wilkey as Anthony Hope,
and Ashlee Brereton as Johanna.

Shortly before I left St. George, I wrote of very close friend of mine who is currently living in California about how I felt stagnant and as though I was wasting my life away in Southern Utah...and now I can excitedly report that I have broken free of that rut and can see that once again, I am getting back on track of my dreams and goals. Living in St. George taught me a lot, but right now I need to be in Salt Lake, as there are far more opportunities for me here than anywhere else at the moment.

Rehearsals for the show were hard; five nights a week, for hours at a time, some of the time during which I was unemployed and stressing over money issues, and the other portion of that time, I was employed, but stressed because I never could find any time to sleep. Many days I was depressed because I felt incompetent or insufficient in my role in the show. Add to that the normal boy drama that seems to permeate my life and I was just not a happy camper for a lot of the rehearsal period!

But all the stress and irritation was SO worth it! The show has been so amazing. We have had four performances so far, and we have five more to go! Opening night we had a reviewer attend the show from BackstageUtah.com, and I was very surprised and shocked to read their review. In his review he stated that although I had a lovely voice, my acting "left much to be desired" and he was thoroughly under-impressed by my ability to play the heroic romantic lead. At first I was very hurt and it had me down for a day or two, but upon deeper scrutiny of the review, the reviewer also though that Sweeney Todd was in love with Johanna (his daughter, those of you who are not familiar with the show) so that being said, I decided that I cannot pay attention to the opinion of anyone who thinks that Johanna is a love interest for Sweeney. So I laughed it off and waited for the reviews from more professional theater-goers to be published.

Last night, the review from Utah's largest newspaper, The Salt Lake Deseret News was posted online, and was featured in today's newspaper. (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705393673/Midvales-Sweeney-Todd-Good-Halloween-theater.html) I had decided that I was going to take this review much more seriously, since it was going to be featured in a newspaper with over 3 Million Subscribers nationwide, so I was nervous to see that it was posted, because the reviewer had come the same night as the reviewer from BackstageUtah.com....but his review was almost a polar opposite! He loved the show, and it was an overwhelmingly positive review, complimenting me specifically on my performance of Johanna. Another review loved my character, however, and said that I was very strong as Anthony. :) He said that my song, Johanna was one of the highlights of the show. (http://utahtheaterbloggers.com/7392/reviewing-community-theatre-and-sweeney-todd-in-midvale/)

Backstage at Midvale Main Street Theatre's "Sweeney
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Corey Wilkey
as Anthony Hope, Kristina Stone as Mrs. Mooney, and
Ryan Fallis as Lead Vocalist. 

So tonight I go to the theatre with a renewed excitement to put the show on for the Salt Lake Community! Such a great show, and I should be able to posts some clips from the show soon.

 Also, as a side note, I plan on auditioning for a couple of upcoming shows over the next several months. Auditions for a local production of Next To Normal are approaching in December, and also RENT in April, both of which I am a die-hard fan of, and have two of my other dream roles. (Gabe, in Next to Normal, and Mark in RENT.) Anyway, I hope all is well with all of you, lovely blog-stalkers! Hugs and loves to all of you!

So anyway, make sure to leave your comments below! I want to hear what everyone's dream roles to play in a show are! And if you aren't an actor or don't have a role you want to play in a show, what is your favorite character from a musical or other stage production!?