Special Guests Joins American Conservatory Theatre

Performing an eclectic blend of original songs and seldom-heard cover tunes, the duo will be joined by special guests from the Sweeney Todd cast. All tickets for this event are $25.

Molina and Magnuson were first paired in the Tony Award–winning 2005 Broadway run of Sweeney Todd, which embarks on its national tour following the current run at A.C.T. The actors received national acclaim for their performances as Sondheim's young lovers, as well as for their work on the original cast album of the production. Variety called Magnuson's singing "haunting," while the Wall Street Journal proclaimed, "Lauren Molina is perfect as Johanna."

In addition to their careers on Broadway, Magnuson and Molina are also seasoned and innovative cabaret performers. Their musical offerings for the evening at the Plush Room will traverse a range of styles, while maintaining an entertaining balance. Says Molina, "Ben's musical style is rock driven, with a seductive energy, while mine maintains a playful light and quirky quality. We complement each other well." Magnuson adds that, though the set list for the evening is not yet finalized, "You can expect tunes by Tom Waits, Damien Rice, Jamie Cullum, and Martin Sexton." Molina will be performing various offbeat covers, along with a selection of original songs from her new album, Doo-Be-Doo. Molina continues, "Ben and I are both very versatile performers, with eclectic tastes in music. This concert will showcase a very different side of our talents from what you see in Sweeney Todd"—though some of that magic is sure to hit the stage once the guests from the casts arrive.

Molina and Magnuson have a good deal more in common than their palpable chemistry onstage. Says Magnuson, "We both grew up in the Midwest. We were both raised by classical musicians, so therefore we both began to play the cello at a young age. We both received musical theater training at competitive conservatories. And while we both have found our way into the theater world, making music has remained our passion." The duo made their first cabaret appearance at Urban Stages in New York City. Their act continued to pick up steam last August with an engagement at New York's Bowery Ballroom, alongside Michael Cerveris, Nellie McKay, and Duncan Sheik, and the momentum has continued. "This [national tour of Sweeney Todd] has been in the works for quite some time," noted Magnuson, "so we thought we'd plan ahead and make our own music all over the country. We are both very excited about making our San Francisco cabaret debut at the Plush Room, and look forward to taking this show on the road with us."

Now extended in response to extraordinary acclaim, John Doyle's revolutionary production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street runs at A.C.T. through October 14. In this visionary revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's musical thriller, the legendary demon barber of Fleet Street still serves up his justice vigilante-style, but director Doyle has created an edgier, stripped-down staging of Sondheim's masterpiece. The intimate result delivers wicked pleasures in a chilling evening of theater that the San Francisco Chronicle calls "insidiously seductive" and "demonically compelling" and the New York Times calls "one helluva show." -- www.act-sf.org