The very first show of “Sweeney Todd” I ever saw was the original Sondheim 1979 production that I found on YouTube. It was also the first theatre show I had ever seen from start to finish, so I wasn’t too sure on what to expect. However, the dark and twisted tale of a barber who murders people as easily and thoughtlessly as giving a shave was one that beguiled and enraptured me.
When viewing UA Theatre and Dance’s own production of the classic tale, I can safely say that the same feeling of captivation had strong presence.
First written as a Victorian penny dreadful by Hugh Wheeler in 1846, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” was adapted into a musical by legendary theatre composer Stephen Sondheim in 1979. It is a story about a barber named Sweeney Todd who plots revenge against a judge who raped his wife, setting up shop above a meat pie shop owned by a woman named Mrs. Lovett.
The tragic character of Sweeney Todd demands both a strong and demanding performance, as well as a powerful voice to fully sell the misery and evil encapsulated within one broken human being. All of that shined through exceptionally from actor William Green, whose deep bass-baritone dominates the stage. Paired with a bubbly and energetic Mrs. Lovett, played superbly by Megan Kelly, the two shined as a charismatic and comedic villain duo, lending both many laughs and many gasps.
Each song in the musical was both memorable and haunting, delighting in humor, as in the case of “Have a Little Priest” or despairing and terrifying, such as the opening prelude. The technical side of the play was done just as well, and gave proper elevation to a narrative dripping with blood and deceit. Stage lights would slowly turn a burning red during Sweeney’s contemplation of murder, giving his killing weapon of choice, his barber’s razor, a deathly red sparkle, like a ruby. In moments of chaos and frustration, the lights would swing in many directions and turn to a full palette of colors, sometimes shining directly into the eyes of the audience, adding a more visceral layer to moments of gravity.
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street” is one of the most disturbing stories ever to be put to pen and song that you’ll ever see. And within its dark and horrifying depths lies something all too comfortably familiar: the infinite and never-ending reach of human folly.
