[NEohioPAL] Review of "Sweeney Todd" by Great Lakes Theater

[Bob Abelman]

Great Lakes unearths the Shakespeare in 'Sweeney Todd' 

 

Bob Abelman

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

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 10/11/13

 

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, must be the angriest musical in theater history.

 

It tells the tale of a homicidal barber out to revenge his wrongful imprisonment and the destruction of his family.  Set in grimy, decaying 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.  In a song titled "Epiphany," Todd sings repeatedly the lyrics that drive this dark drama:  "We all deserve to die."

 

Sondheim is a very complicated man who writes very complicated songs.  They consist of enigmatic and frequently discordant music and lyrics that, while often void of melody and lacking that "hummable" quality found desirable in show tunes, still manage to induce a range of emotions.  Sondheim touches the soul while challenging the intellect, which makes for a challenging and rewarding musical theater experience.   

 

Director Victoria Bussert's approach to his work in the Great Lakes Theater production of "Sweeney Todd" is to accentuate all that is theatrical in this play and go for the melodramatic.   

 

And why not.  She has at her disposal a classically trained resident company capable of mastering Shakespeare (its brilliant production of "Richard III" is playing in repertory) as well as Sondheim.  They know how to milk the meaning out of each and every phrase and are skilled at rapidly spewing mouthfuls of words without losing comprehension, lessoning their devised rhythm, or compromising their dire intention.  

 

Their efforts are fully supported by scenic designer Jeff Hermann's expressionistic rendering of Todd's decrepit Fleet Street dwelling, complementary lighting and sound design by Mary Jo Dondlinger and Richard B. Ingraham, and goth-inspired costuming by Charlotte Yetman.  

 

As does the "Richard III" production, "Sweeney Todd" opens with a coffin placed at center-stage.  When we hear the show's opening words - "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd" - well, they have our full and undivided attention.

 

Tom Ford takes a unique turn as the title character.  In line with Bussert's vision, he is more maniacal than mad and is particularly prone to theatricality.  His pathological obsession with revenge gives way to random fits of bone-chilling laughter and spontaneous acts of aggression, which makes him not only dark and dangerous, but deliciously unstable.  Ford's intriguing Todd is an accident waiting to happen that does not wait long. 

 

For those familiar with the film version of this musical, directed by Tim Burton, Johnny Depp's sympathetic Todd bears no resemblance with what Ford brings to the stage.     

 

Sondheim, like Shakespeare, knows to off-set his dark drama with broad comedy, and Bussert knows to give Sara M. Bruner her head in her comedic portrayal of Mrs. Lovett.  As she has done in past productions of the Bard's work - most notably as Katherine in "Taming of the Shrew" - Bruner's impeccable comic timing and delightful physicality weaves its way through a rich, fully formed character.  Her Mrs. Lovett is immediately accessible, despite her having been ridden hard and sent to the stalls wet and unkempt.  

 

The rest of the 16-member cast is equally superb in voice and presentation - especially Clare Eisentrout and Zach Adkins as the tragic Johanna and the infatuated Anthony, Chris Cowan as the sweet, simple Tobias, and Darren Matthias as the deeply disturbed Judge Turpin.  

 

Music director Matthew Webb and his hidden 8-piece orchestra handle Sondheim's complex score with grace and skill.  

 

This may be the angriest musical in theater history, but it is also one of the most memorable.  We should all "attend the tale of Sweeney Todd." 

 

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" continues through November 2 at PlayhouseSquare's Hanna Theatre.  For tickets, which range from $15 to $70, visit www.playhousesquare.com or call 216-241-6000.
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