APTOS >> The class disparities of Victorian London will be mixed with scenes of bloodshed, revenge and cannibalism — as well as plenty of singing — when Cabrillo Stage brings its production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” to life with a preview performance Thursday and a grand opening Friday.

Andrea Hart, the play’s director, said Cabrillo Stage was aiming to do two productions this year rather than just one, but crews were unable to make the calendar work since Cabrillo College has a slightly shorter summer this year.

“I was looking at shows that I thought were big enough to hold the one show,” she said.

Hart said a lot of people had expressed interest in doing “Sweeney Todd.” With a 21-person orchestra, she thought that was a big enough show to satisfy the schedule. Plus, she felt the story about unchecked injustice and people being pitted against one another was very relevant.

“Each week that we go on, it just seems like a more and more timely story,” she said. “It almost feels like it’s ripped from the headlines in certain ways.”

The character of Sweeney Todd — a barber who kills his clients and has their corpses baked into meat pies — dates all the way back to the 1840s when he appeared in a series of penny dreadfuls, cheap and often gruesome 19th century British literature, called “A String of Pearls.” The story was adapted numerous times over the years, notably as a 1970 play by Christopher Bond titled “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” which in turn was adapted into a Broadway musical in 1979 by theatrical legend Stephen Sondheim.

The Sondheim version, which won eight Tony Awards and was adapted into a 2007 movie by Tim Burton, is what Cabrillo Stage will be performing.

In addition to its themes, Hart likes how much of the play can be applied to today’s society. For example, she noted that the story takes place around the time of the Industrial Revolution when people were concerned about human workers being replaced by machines, a topic that is very much still active with today’s debate over artificial intelligence in the workplace.

“There’s just so many corollaries that can be looked at with a fresh set of eyes,” she said.

This is the first play Hart has directed for Cabrillo Stage after three years of serving as artistic director, and she is excited to be working with such a large crew. While she acknowledged it is a daunting task, it is a challenge she was more than willing to take on.“I have enough of a handle on the production side, and I have enough of an awareness of how it works and enough of a team helping that it felt like I could step into that role,” she said. “It feels really exciting to be able to usher in a story this big and scenic design and concept that has this many moving parts.”

Hart will be putting her own spin on “Sweeney Todd,” namely in how it approaches its female characters. Todd’s daughter Johanna, for example, is not portrayed as a damsel in distress but rather a shaper of the plot.

“She’s somebody that’s stuck in some pretty horrible circumstances but doesn’t give into despair or pessimism,” she said. “She’s constantly looking for hope, she’s constantly looking for brightness in the dark world.”

Additionally, Mrs. Lovett — who runs a meat shop and assists Todd in disposing of his victims — is viewed through the lens of a character who sets the plot in motion and “pushes the buttons where she needs to, to make everything happen,” Hart said. She also referred to the beggar Lucy Barker as an allegory for who gets viewed as crazy in society.

“In the play, is it actually the person who’s trying to point out the things that others benefit from not being seen?” she said. “She gets called crazy because it suits the people in power for her to seem crazy when she’s the person actually calling attention to the crimes that are being committed.”

Hart said she is fortunate to have such a large, talented cast composed of both new faces and returning players. She said many had performed in Cabrillo Stage’s 2017 production of “The Addams Family” musical, including Adam Saucedo who portrays Todd but also starred as Gomez in “The Addams Family.”

“I always love that mix of really seasoned actors and people that are getting some of their first opportunities in a big production,” she said.

Hart also had praise for the technical crew, including scenic designer Skip Epperson, technical director Marcel Tjioe, costume designer Lidia Hasenauer and prop designer Natalie Silva.

“We just have a really great group of people,” she said.

This is Silva’s fourth year as prop master and eighth year working on Cabrillo Stage productions. Her team has created a wide variety of elaborate props, including a snake oil cart that sells tonics, a trunk, tearaway pies, a 3D printed razor, a reclining barber chair and labels for gin bottles and shaving cream cans, all utilizing an eye to detail for Victorian design. She said it was a fun era to research.

“I really love this period,” she said. “We don’t really get to do it as often. I’ve been doing a lot of 1900s set stuff, so it’s been a fun challenge to dive into the history of (Victorian London) and telling my crew about everything and looking at 1830s (and) what is available versus what could have been around (in a lower-class society).”

Silva loves the work crews are doing on “Sweeney Todd.”

“Everyone’s doing a really great job, and I love how collaborative it’s been,” she said. “Working with Andrea again has been really great. She’s just so innovative with all of her thoughts, and trying to make her imagination possible has been fun.”

Hart said her vision of “Sweeney Todd” is one that maintains the humor and horror of the source material but also emphasizes that it is a cautionary tale.

“There can be something somewhat comforting by watching something and being like ‘Oh, this has happened before. We’re not the first ones to approach this,’” she said. “We’re not the first ones to have dealt with this, and in that way, can we be reawakened to our own humanity in the face of things that are continually trying to dehumanize us?”

“Sweeney Todd” opens with a preview performance Friday and officially opens Saturday with performances running Thursdays through Sundays through Aug. 10 at Cabrillo College’s Crocker Theater, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. for Saturday and Sunday matinees. There is also a director talk back and Q&A following the July 27 show featuring Hart, musical director Daniel Goldsmith and choreographer Melissa Wiley. For tickets, go to Cabrillostage.com/calendar or call the box office at 831-479-6154.