The Wake

If you’ve seen Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in the recent film adaptation of Sweeney Todd, then you’re probably just as excited as we are to talk with Katrina Yaukey, who plays Sweeney Todd’s foe, Pirelli, in John Doyle’s stage production of the story.

WAKE: As broke college students, it’s exciting to hear about someone else’s journey to actualizing their dreams. How did you get from your beginnings to Sweeney Todd?

Well, I originally went to Penn State as oboe/musical theatre major… I randomly went to some auditions in New York and got cast as a dancer in Victor/Victoria, which starred Toni Tennille. I continued to be a student while I was on that show and took correspondence courses from Penn State. Then I got cast as a dancer for the Absolut Vodka promo tour. Then I was cast on Broadway in Cabaret and stayed for four years. Afterwards I looked back and was like wow, that was like a whole college experience! Then I did a few short films here and there and then booked Company on Broadway, which ran for about a year and got a Tony award for Best Revival. In college, I never thought I’d be able to do both and make use of both, you know, musical theatre and oboe, but over the past few years I’ve been able to use all of it.

WAKE: I hear there are some new twists in this production of Sweeney Todd.

There’s a twist in that, for economical purposes when this show first started in the UK, John Doyle [director] didn’t have the resources to have a full orchestra so he had the actors playing the instruments, which is brilliant because they become an extension of the actor’s bodies. When I first saw the show in New York I thought it would be distracting to have the actors playing instruments, but I forgot all about it five minutes into the show.

WAKE: Can you tell us a little about your character, Pirelli?

It’s interesting because in the show I play Pirelli, who is a man, so there’s some gender-bending. Pirelli is misunderstood in the show, because the beginning is kind of complicated and if you miss a few minutes it’s hard to understand. It takes place in an insane asylum, where Sweeney Todd is, and then he takes off his straitjacket and begins to tell the story. It’s almost like a play within a play, because I play one of two caretakers at the asylum, who is a woman, and then all of a sudden I put on a hat and am Pirelli, who is a man. It’s really up to the audience to decide what’s real or not. There’s a lot of text in the show, so you have to listen. From the stage I can almost see the audience leaning forward in their seats. It’s really a work of art, it’s brilliant. Also, I get to play the accordion in the show, which is great. I love playing the accordion.

WAKE: Don’t your arms get tired carrying it around?

This is a small one, and I carry it on my back throughout parts of the show. I have a couple of bigger ones at home. I also play flute in the show, which is actually more exhausting, since I have to have my head at a weird angle. And I play the piano in the show. I played tuba in Company, which was really tiring.

WAKE: It’s -13 degrees Fahrenheit in Minneapolis right now. Are you excited to be here next week?

Oh. My. God. Actually I’m excited to come to Minneapolis. I’ve been in three other tours and I’ve never been to Minneapolis and I’m so excited. I understand that you can pretty much go anywhere inside. I actually have people coming to meet me there. I am a snowboarder, too, so I understand the cold. Actually, I just got heelies. Do you know what those are?

WAKE: Yeah, those are so neat!

I know! So I’ve just been heeling around in them, it’s so great, it’s almost like I’m just skateboarding around in my sneakers. So if you see a 30-year-old woman wheeling around Minneapolis, you’ll know what’s going on.