The make-up masked it

Post date: Apr 07, 2016 6:51:15 AM

Maria was a drama student - so while she was at high school we regularly attended school drama productions. Always enjoyed them. As part of her drama course she participated in lessons as varied as how to do lighting and make-up. I recall when Ele was with us there was an accident make-up course. We have a photo of a blood smeared Maria with gaping arm wound and pained face.

This all came to mind today as I heard about the St Kentigern's school production of Sweeney Todd musical. Sweeney Todd us a melodrama set in Victorian England where Sweeney the barber instead of shaving his customers uses his cutthroat razor to slice customers throats - sends bodies through trapdoor where baker turns the bodies into the fillings for meat pies.

So this posh high school in Auckland is staging Sweeney Todd this week. Last night was opening night. However this had been rehearsed the actual performance played out like TV detective story. Two of the cast ended up with throats that really were slit, fortunately not fatally, but enough to require ambulances to hospital and overnight stay. No-one in the audience knew the real life drama playing out on/behind the stage- including the Principal and Board members in the audience. I guess the difference between fake and real blood was hard to pick.

Tonight's show cancelled but tickets for Fri and Sat in high demand