Spotlight on Ezra Axelrod and Judith Dry

Author: Andrew Throdahl

The Middlebury Campus spoke with Ezra Axelrod '08 and Judith Dry '09, stars of the up-coming production "Sweeney Todd," which will be performed on Jan. 25 and 26 in the CFA Concert Hall. The Middlebury College production of the Tony Award-winning musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, features Axelrod in the title role and Dry as his partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett.

The Middlebury Campus: What sparked your interest in Sweeney Todd? How did your participation in this production come about?

Ezra Axelrod: I really didn't know anything about Sweeney Todd before I found out that there would be a Middlebury production. I had heard that it was considered "The American Opera," and so I was immediately interested as I've been working mainly on operatic singing with Carol Christensen for the past four years.
Judith Dry: I have loved this show ever since I saw it in London about four years ago. I am also an avid Sondheim fan. I had been in "Into the Woods" in high school, and freshman year I was in "Company," also directed by Doug Anderson. Actually, after "Company" Doug asked us if we had any requests or ideas about shows to do next. I e-mailed him and suggested "Sweeney Todd," knowing how much he loves Sondheim.

TC: What was your reaction to the recent film version of "Sweeney Todd"? How has it affected your interpretation of the role?

EA: I think Tim Burton's realization of "Sweeney Todd" is brilliant. He successfully transforms theater into film, approaching this musical's disturbing emotional and physical content through monotonous whispers, close-ups, gruesome special effects, etc., all wonderful elements that the film medium makes possible. Although I found the film poignant and aesthetically genius, I think it's important for me to remember that our production here isn't cinematic, it's musical theater, it's a different medium, and our objectives differ from Burton's.
JD: I really loved the movie. Of the recent movie to musical adaptations, it definitely succeeds the most in my book. As opposed to "Chicago" or "Hairspray," the film of "Sweeney" succeeds in being its own entity. I do think you lose something by eliminating most of the big chorus numbers, since they are so thrilling to hear when 25 people are singing. And of course the main theme, 'The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,' became orchestration in the movie. You lose the idea that this is a legend without the line, "attend the tale of Sweeney Todd." But it works because you do that visually in film. I loved Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, despite their not really being able to sing. I definitely will be singing louder than Helena Bonham Carter. My Mrs. Lovett will be bigger, not subserviant, and she definitely doesn't like children.

TC: Most people associate the story of "Sweeney Todd" with gratuitous violence. Do you think "Sweeney Todd" has a moral message despite being so bloody?

EA: I don't agree that the violence in "Sweeney Todd" is "gratuitous." The body count is high in so many revered works of art, and I think the violence in "Sweeney Todd" is essential in any discussion of its moral message. "Sweeney Todd" is a commentary about societal outcasts, about the nature of alienating societies, and these are themes that recur all too chillingly today. Recent massacres on school campuses across the United States and the discourses their perpetrators cling to do not differ greatly from the content of "Sweeney Todd," "There's a hole in the world like a great black pit, and it's filled with people who are filled with s---, and the vermin of the world inhabit it…but not for long." Sadly, I heard one reviewer say that "Sweeney Todd" is the "film for the time we are living in."
JD: The moral message is in the blood. It's all a brilliant analogy for "man devouring man." The blood shows just how selfish everyone is, that power corrupts, and that people who get screwed over will want their revenge. Justice will be served, perhaps in the form of a pie. Sondheim is critiquing those in power, and the message still holds true, and always will.

TC: What has been the greatest obstacle so far in the production?

JD: This is an operetta with very difficult music. It is an enormous challenge to learn it all in a few weeks. But we'll do it.
EA: I have almost no experience with theater, so the whole idea of interpreting a character is somewhat new to me. Luckily, I am working with someone as talented as Judith Dry, who has a lot of experience and is so natural on stage. Both she and Dough Anderson, the production's director, have a lot of helpful criticism, so I'm excited to gain more confidence on stage.

TC: Do you have any exciting artistic plans for next semester?

JD: I'll be in Prague next semester. I'm actually leaving at 11 a.m. the morning after our second show. Who knows where my artistic impulses will take me? I'll definitely be seeing a lot of experimental Czech theatre, and maybe writing some.
EA: Next semester the Middlebury College Orchestra will perform my senior composition, "The Vilnius Duet." I guess its official classification would be "orchestral song." It's basically an operatic piece with text by my father. I'm extremely excited for its premier, because it will not only be performed by the orchestra, but by two professional singers - my voice teacher, Carol Christensen, and her colleague, Beth Thompson.