Hi All,

I am the (female) assistant director of a professional production of Sweeney Todd, and while theater is entertainment first and foremost--I want to make sure that the shaving is as credible as possible! I'm hoping the folks of SRP may be able to give me a hand, since I have not spent much time in barbershops.

I have been researching and watching videos, so we won't make the Depp stropping mistake, but I'm looking for any tips you all might have.

In particular:

1) Is a strop always attached to a chair or a wall? Any other options I haven't considered?

2) All the shaves in Sweeney Todd are done by a barber. Most of the videos I've found are for self-shavers, of course, but it would be great to get a clearer idea of possible angles, etc., for barbers. Keep in mind that the barber, for stage purposes, generally needs to be behind or to the side of the shave-ee, so that the barber's face can be seen. Is there an "order" that a barber would typically use, in terms of areas of the face?

3) What are the options for getting foam off the razor? I have seen barbers use their hands, a towel, etc. What is most common?

4) Long strokes are useful musically. I have seen a mixture of long and short strokes on video--is it okay to use long strokes, say for the below-jaw area?

5) Are there any egregious mistakes that you have seen on stage or screen that you want to warn us to avoid? (Luckily, the stage is more forgiving than the camera, since the audience is further away.)

Thanks in advance for your input and expertise! Much appreciated.