Balgarianovinite.com The thriller musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street had its Plovdiv premiere at the Ancient Theatre on Wednesday. The production combined musical drama with strong acting.
Director Petar Odazhiev, who teaches at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts Prof. Asen Diamandiev and Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv, included several Plovdiv artists in the cast and creative team. State Opera Plovdiv soloist Tsveti Penyashki played Sweeney Todd, actress Yulia Yordanova, known as Kerana, portrayed his accomplice Mrs Lovett, and singer and actress Edith Undjian appeared in another principal role. Plovdiv visual artist Petko Tanchev created the digital scenery and media design. His work includes several projects for the city’s cultural sector. Evgeni Arabadzhiev and Matey Atanasov were also in the cast.
Odazhiev brought soloists, an orchestra, a choir and a ballet together in a production staged as a cinematic thriller. The organizers said the expressionist scenery, video mapping, lighting and rhythmic choreography created a setting in which ritual gradually displaced humanity. They added that composer Stephen Sondheim’s music built the tension while the staging traced the protagonist’s psychological decline.
The interpretation drew on Victorian grotesque and film noir. Costume designer Kiril Naumov, choreographers Bogdana Sergeeva and August Nyström, and conductor Svetoslav Lazarov shaped its visual, movement and musical elements.
International critics described Sweeney Todd by Sondheim and librettist Hugh Wheeler as a musical thriller without equal. The work received dozens of Tony and Olivier awards and departed from traditional Broadway conventions by combining operatic precision, black humour and elements of a psychological thriller.
The story followed a wrongfully convicted barber who returned seeking revenge and examined personal choice, disillusionment with justice and the point at which pain became obsession.
The Stefan Makedonski National Music Theatre produced the Bulgarian staging with assistance from State Opera Stara Zagora and funding from the National Culture Fund.
Actress Yana Marinova will join the cast as the Beggar Woman at State Opera Stara Zagora on September 16.
The production will also be staged in Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia on November 23. Musical Thriller Sweeney Todd Takes Over Plovdiv’s Ancient Theatre 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-19 21:15:07 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law