On Wednesday, Carrie Cimma, professional actress and New York University alumna, will be performing the role of Mrs. Lovett in the upcoming performance “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Cimma has been acting professionally for 15 years — however, she had had her eye on this role for quite a while.

“I’ve wanted to do this role for a very long time. This one’s pretty big,” Cimma said. “This will be the third time that this particular concept of the show has been done in this country.”

Mrs. Lovett, Cimma said, owns a pie shop that is lacking business because of her inability to bake good pies. She then partners with a barber returning to London, Sweeney Todd, after years away from the city.

“She eventually captures him from his old lifestyle and starts a partnership with him,” Cimma said. “He begins killing people, and she begins baking them into meat pies in her shop.”

Cimma said the most difficult aspect of performing her role was making the character likable to the audience.

“The hardest part is trying to make the character seem more human. If people don’t feel any empathy for the character on stage, then there’s really no point in doing what you’re doing,” she said. “Because the two main characters of the story do such terrible things, it’s just difficult to make them likable.”

Getting ready for the role of Mrs. Lovett was a lot of work for Cimma. The actors rehearsed seven to eight hours a day and then Cimma spends one hour of her own time going over the music, the script and some researching for the performance.

“I haven’t read a book for pleasure in about a month, but I’ve been doing some research for this show,” Cimma said. “So everything I’ve been reading for the past two months have been for this.”

Carrie said the 10 actors, including her, will all be playing the instruments and singing as well. There is no band.

“I had to learn to play the tuba. I also pick some music that’s going to warm up my voice and my mind,” Cimma said.

The music and lyrics that will be performed by the actors were written by Stephen Sondheim.

“He is a genius, and the show is his ultimate masterpiece. It’s definitely one of the top three shows he has ever written,” Cimma said.

The music from Sondheim is one of the main aspects that attracted Cimma to this upcoming performance.

“It’s really great for me to be able to sing the music every night and to do it with such a talented group of people and the fact that there is really little dialog, it’s mainly music,” Cimma said.

Cimma’s costume is dark and simple, along with the cast and the set.

“My costume has a deconstructed Victorian England look — black skirt with black fishnets, black shoes and a black shirt with a white apron,” she said. “Everything is very stripped down and minimalistic in this show. The fact that the show is so minimalistic and so small, it’s a small set and the actors do everything.”

The plot for the ‘Demon Barber’

“Sweeney Todd” is based on the 19th Century legend of a London barber who turns to a life of crime after a judge takes his wife and daughter away from him. Todd returns to London and partners with a baker, Mrs. Lovett. He becomes a barber who slits customers throats so that Lovett makes them into pies. Todd’s one goal is to get the judge into his barber chair.

Film adaptation

“Sweeney Todd” was adapted for the big screen in 2007 by John Logan from Stephen Sondheim’s script. The film starred Johnny Depp in the title role and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett. It was nominated for three Oscars, including lead actor, and won one — art direction. It was also nominated for four Golden Globes and won two — best actor in a musical or comedy and best musical or comedy.

Showtime for ‘Sweeney’

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Stephen Auditorium. Tickets are on sale at the Iowa State Center Ticket Office. Prices are $47 or $43 for adults, $25 for youth and $20 for ISU students. For more information, visit the tour’s Web site, www.sweeneyontour.com.