by Mike Bailey
The moment we’ve been waiting for has arrived as the newly renovated and resuscitated Scottish Rite Theatre holds its first public performance on Halloween weekend with a pitch-perfect choice – the Central Illinois Ballet’s presentation of “Sweeney Todd.”
The shows are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30. Tickets range from $17 to $20 for youth age 12 and under, and from $22.50 to $25 for adults, and are available at www.scottishritepeoria.com. Get into the mood and show up in costume, if you wish.
“Sweeney Todd,” aka ‘the demon barber of Fleet Street,” is the story of a London barber who murders his customers with a straight razor as he seeks revenge against those who have wronged him -- not least of which the judge who falsely imprisoned him -- and then turns their bodies over to partner in crime Mrs. Lovett, who bakes them into meat pies and sells them to her unsuspecting customers.
It’s a grisly if sometimes funny and ultimately tragic tale, and the eerie if beautiful confines of The Scotty – where, word has it, there has been an occasional spirit sighting – is the ideal backdrop for it. More importantly, this kind of performance helps fulfill The Scotty’s mission of showcasing the local talent that is lurking in every corner of central Illinois, in this case with a unique, balletic twist on a stage staple that also represents the choreographic debut of CIB’s Jessie Williams.
"The Scottish Rite Theatre is thrilled to partner with Central Illinois Ballet for Sweeney Todd during the Halloween season,” said KDB Group Performing Arts Director Jenny Parkhurst. “We will offer professional touring music groups and performances, but also want to celebrate what's right here in our own back yard. Our intent is to develop performance partnerships just like this with all local arts organizations. With open arms, we welcome our local symphonies, dance companies, bands, choral groups, visual artists, and more."
“It’s just my kind of place. A little creepy, a lot of history,” said Jessie Williams, who is director of the Cornerstone Academy for Performing Arts and in her fifth year as a company member. The Suwanee, Ga. native who graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis before making Peoria her home remembers touring the Scotty for the first time, seeing the vintage barber chairs in the below-stage dressing room, and thinking “this could be a great place to see ‘Sweeney Todd.’”
Photo by Frugoli Photography
She said she became obsessed with the movie adaptation, starring Johnny Depp when she was 14, and had long contemplated how to translate it to ballet. Audience members will recognize this version, which is “a healthy mix of the musical and play,” said Williams.
“It’s not really scary, and it’s not really gory … It really is a story of love and revenge.” And there’s no better setting than The Scotty for it. “What they’re doing with it now, breathing life back into it, makes my heart so happy,” said Williams, who is overseeing a cast of more than 20.
“I’m very excited.” Entrepreneur and philanthropist Kim Blickenstaff purchased the Scottish Rite in 2019 and has invested significant resources to return it to its original glory, while enduring some significant challenges along the way – including a global pandemic that helped delay its opening, no less. We trust central Illinoisans will find it all worth the wait.
Happy Halloween and see you at The Scotty!