MUSICAL REVIEW : Sweeney Todd a gory, entertaining yarn
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE — Less is so much more, at least in the cleverly rendered tale of a London barber gone mad.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, presented Monday night at the Walton Arts Center, is a macabre musical about a barber separated from his wife and child and imprisoned on a fake charge. He returns to London to find his baby girl grown up and his wife presumed dead after she poisoned herself from despair.
He meets up with Mrs. Lovett, who serves the worsttasting meat pies in town, and sets up shop above her pie shop.
As he plots revenge on the judge who sent him away, he dispenses mortal judgment on other customers and turns the bodies over to Mrs. Lovett to use as filling for her pies.
This touring production was director and designer John Doyle’s interpretation of the show that premiered on Broadway in 1979, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. The tale is told through the crazed mind of a boy, Tobias, played creepily by Chris Marchant.
In a story line where everything isn’t as it seems, the production also makes efficient use of everything it has: actors, props, instruments. One basic stage setting served the actions for the entire two-hour show. By moving around some chairs, a ladder and a coffin-shaped black box, actors created the scenes as they went along.
As one of the most impressive aspects, the 10 performers played their own instruments while acting and singing, a move that strengthened the entire show. The cello, bass, trumpet, clarinet, accordion, tuba, violin and others became characters themselves, essential to the action and not distracting. Besides producing the lovely music for this show, the instruments provided sound effects throughout.
This wasn’t an over-the-top musical extravaganza. The horror was understated but everpresent, more psychological than graphic. Still, this touring show’s minimalist presentation didn’t feel empty.
Since it’s a show about a murderous barber, there was much blood brought by that shiny silver barber’s blade. But it was handled symbolically. A stroke across a throat triggered red lights that filled the stage and a bucket of stage blood that poured from one white bucket to another. Then, the victim donned a red-stained white lab coat. It was a tasteful way to handle the gory aspect.
Merritt David Janes, as Sweeney Todd, had solid vocals and gave his desperate character irresistible charm. Carrie Cimma, as Mrs. Lovett, had a strong British accent that came and went, but played her quirky, sassy character beautifully.
Also good was Duke Anderson, as the sailor boy Anthony who falls in love with Sweeney’s daughter Johanna. Wendy Muir, as Johanna, had a gorgeous and sweet voice.
This show is filled with many memorable songs, with oftenwitty lyrics that narrated the story.
One of the funniest tunes was “A Little Priest,” in which Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett discussed the merits of different kinds of pies — through puns — like lawyer pie, priest pie, and shepherd’s pie, with actual shepherd on top.
In a twisted moment, Mrs. Lovett sang “By the Sea” — an interesting tune in which she dreamed of a future with Sweeney — while cleaning the beastly hand tools used to process her meat pie ingredients.
In the end, few were spared from Sweeney’s knife, not the judge, not Mrs. Lovett, not even Sweeney himself. It was a delightfully morbid treat.
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