[NEohioPAL] Review of LCC's "Sweeney Todd"

[Bob Abelman]

Murderous production worth the wait

Yearlong delay of Lakeland's Sweeney Todd may only have helped

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the News-Herald 2/13/09

 

Like a fine cabernet placed in the cellar and left to age, time has been good to Lakeland Community College's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.  

 

A year after this production's postponed opening, director Martin Friedman's creative vision for Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece of a musical is fully fermented.  His featured players and large ensemble have matured and mellowed.  The result is an intoxicating concoction. 

 

Sweeney Todd tells the tale of a homicidal barber out to revenge his wrongful imprisonment and the destruction of his family.  Set in 19th century London, Todd whittles away at his clientele as the fruits of his labor are processed into meat pies and sold by Todd's delightfully demented landlady, Mrs. Lovett.  Todd lies in wait until the Judge that set this madness in motion walks through his door to receive the closest shave he's ever had.

 

Friedman chose to stage this production within the confines of a surreal criminal court, nicely designed and dramatically lit by Trad Burns.  Here, the juried ensemble - living and dead - watch along with the audience and weigh the evidence, as if witnessing a re-enactment of the original crimes and all that led up to them.  

 

This approach creates a bit of confusion and cluster when action taking place in this arena is intended to be played out on different levels of Todd's abode.  Nonetheless, the notion of a staged re-enactment is clever and affords Friedman the creative license to go beyond the scripted melodrama.  He probes the implications of the story's blatant acts of aggression and takes some risks by exposing their impact on the psychological well-being of the characters.  

 

Dan Folino depicts a vulnerable and somewhat sympathetic Sweeney Todd, which is a far cry from traditionally stoic or maniacal portrayals.   Always a confident actor and exceptionally gifted singer, particularly when tackling dark and dramatic roles, Folino has acquired a newfound sophistication and complexity (and an equity card) over the past year.  His Sweeney is superb.

 

Lindsey Sandham not only masters Sondheim's sophisticated lyrics and operatic score but, as Todd's estranged daughter Johanna, has the acting chops to manage the humor in the song "Kiss Me" and the emotional turmoil Friedman has added to the mix.   A year at Baldwin Wallace College has fine-tuned an already marvelous performer.

 

Also marvelous are Connor O'Brien, as Johanna's love interest and featured tenor Anthony Hope; Thomas Love, as bad man Beadle Bamford; and Josh Theilan, as rival barber and comic relief Senior Pirelli.  An adult Brian Altman is absolutely wonderful as innocent Tobias Ragg, Mrs. Lovett's assistant, a role typically played by a young boy.  

 

Alison Garrigan starts off cool but quickly turns up the heat as the manipulative Mrs. Lovett, while Douglas Collier's cruel Judge Turpin is a sublimely slimy but lukewarm rendering.  Many in the 14-piece ensemble are veteran performers and several have played together in other productions in the year before Sweeney Todd finally came to fruition.  This experience shows, for they move as one and understand the significance of the support they provide this complicated production.  

 

Costuming by Craig Tucker and phenomenal orchestration under the direction of Larry Goodpaster add additional layers to this must-see, much-awaited production of Sweeney Todd.

 

Lakeland Theatre's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street continues at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays through February 22 at Lakeland Community College, 7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland.  For tickets, which are $13 for adults and $11 for students and seniors, call (440) 525-7526.
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