Deutsche Presse-Agentur
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Two teenage students in New Zealand were hospitalized with cuts to the neck after being injured on stage during an opening night production of Sweeney Todd, local media reported Thursday.
The grisly Stephen Sondheim musical tells the story of English barber Sweeney Todd, a fictional 19th-century character famous for cutting his customers’ throats and dispatching their bodies down a chute to his accomplice Mrs Lovett, who bakes them into pies.
The production was being staged at Saint Kentigern College in Auckland on Wednesday night when the incident occurred during a throat-slitting scene.
The two 16-year-old boys were taken to hospital, one with serious injuries, the other with moderate injuries.
The prop that caused the injuries was a razor blade wrapped in duct tape, according to head of college Steve Cole.
Cole told media that while the college could have used a prop made of plastic, he was satisfied they had taken every necessary precaution.
“We are very concerned about the accident at our college musical and we are investigating the cause of this. We are pleased that both boys are in stable condition,” he said in a statement.
The school earlier explained their decision to stage the musical on their website.
“To some, the macabre, blood-soaked Sondheim classic, Sweeney Todd, may seem an odd choice for a school musical,” it said.
“However, there is no doubting that this is a theatre piece that raised the bar and challenged our student actors, musicians and stage crew on many levels.”
The college cancelled Thursday night’s performance.
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