Press Releases

7 Performances:
Friday, July 31 at 8 pm
Saturday, August 1 at 8 pm
Sunday, August 2 at 2 pm
Thursday, August 6 at 8 pm
Friday, August 7 at 8 pm
Saturday, August 8 at 8 pm
Sunday, August 9 at 2 pm

Manasquan, NJ - Algonquin Arts, New Jersey Performing Arts Center�s Summer Musical Program and the New Jersey Youth Theatre Company (NJYT) collaborate to present the Tony-Award-winning Stephen Sondheim production, Sweeney Todd: The Musical Thriller. The production is scheduled to run in NJPAC�s Victoria Theater July 17-26 and tour to the Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan, NJ July 31-August 9.

The production of Sweeney Todd: The Musical Thriller features a multi-cultural cast of 32 talented New Jersey/New York metro area young actors between the ages of 15 and 25. Lead roles include Jaclyn Ingoglia (age 22) of North Caldwell, NJ as Mrs. Lovett, Erin LeCroy (age 18) of Belle Mead, NJ as Johanna, Kevin Melendez (age 22) of West New York, NJ as Sweeney Todd, and Stephen Mir (age 18) of Bloomfield, NJ as Anthony. The production will also be accompanied by a full orchestra comprised of young student musicians and seasoned professionals.

Sets, props and wardrobe operations, onstage and backstage, will be in the hands of professionals assisted by young technical interns in each area. The actors, musicians and technical interns come from across the metro-area and participate free of charge in this unique project. Past Algonquin Arts/NJPAC/NJYT Summer Musical productions include Ragtime: The Musical (named by The Star Ledger as �Best Musical 2006�), Guys & Dolls, Anything Goes, West Side Story (recipient of the 2003 Music Theatre International Award of Excellence), South Pacific, and Carousel.

In a past review by Peter Filichia of The Star Ledger, NJPAC and NJYT were acclaimed for their masterful professionalism: �This is not a case of, �Hey, aren�t they great for kids?� These teens and twenty somethings prove that they�re capable professionals. With such astonishing young talent around, New Jersey theater promises a luminous future.�

Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a Tony Award-winning musical with a book by Hugh Wheeler and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The musical is based on 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond. Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway at the Uris Theatre on March 1, 1979 and ran for 557 performances. It was directed by Harold Prince with musical staging by Larry Fuller. It starred Len Cariou as Sweeney Todd and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett.

Tickets to see Sweeney Todd: The Musical Thriller live at Algonquin Arts are $32 for adults, $30 for seniors, and $15 for students and children. Group rates are also available. To reserve seats or obtain more information, contact the box office at 732-528-9211 or [email protected]. More information can also be accessed at www.algonquinarts.org. Box office hours are Monday-Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. Algonquin Arts is conveniently located at 173 Main Street in downtown Manasquan, NJ.

Algonquin Arts was founded in 1992 as a nonprofit organization to provide cultural enrichment and educational enhancement of the highest quality for the residents of New Jersey�s central region. Programming of Algonquin Arts is made possible as a result of the continued philanthropic support of private citizens and organizations such as New Jersey State Council on the Arts, OceanFirst Foundation, New Jersey Cultural Trust, Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, PNC Foundation, Manasquan Savings Bank, Woman�s Club of Brielle, Bank of America, Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation, Investors Savings Bank Charitable Fund, Verizon Foundation, Janice & Jules Plangere III, as well as many generous individuals and local businesses.