The Athenaeum in Warminster plays host to one of the most complex and gruesome musicals ever written, as the Athenaeum Masqueraders stage their production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, from Thursday, June 25-Saturday, June 27..

The show tells the story of Sweeney Todd, a barber sent to Australia as a convict, who returns several years later to reclaim his life and get his revenge on the twisted judge responsible.

Considered by many to be one of the most complex musicals ever written, it has been staged in a new way by the Masqueraders, who have set the show in the 1930s, breathing a new lease of life into it.

Musical director, James Finbow, explains "Sweeney Todd is a very well loved musical, which has been staged several times over the last forty years, and we are delighted that we have managed to come up with something new that people who've never seen the show, and people who know the show inside out, will enjoy.

"The music is renowned for being incredibly complex and intricate, and the cast have done a wonderful job in taming it. As with our last show, we once again have been able to cast people who have never acted in musicals, and never acted on stage."

The Masqueraders have enjoyed an incredibly successful year last year with two runs of Bad Girls: The Musical, which sold over 1000 tickets over its six performances.

Following Sweeney Todd, they will be preparing for their next show, Disco Inferno, in October; a production from their youth group in February 2016; and in October 2016, they will be one of the first amateur groups in the country to perform a show which is being kept completely secret for the time being.

Sweeney Todd is at 7pm each night: tickets are on sale from the Athenaeum Box Office, and also online at www.theath.org.uk for £10 each. Due to the subject matter, it is not recommended for under 16s.