Blank Canvas’ ‘Sweeney Todd’ smolders but is short on stagecraft Bob Abelman Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal Member, International Association of Theatre Critics “Sweeney Todd,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, is a most unconventional musical. The show is overtly operatic, with little dialogue, a melodramatic storyline, and a dependence on ensemble performance to narrate and progress the story. Its unconventional hero is a homicidal barber out to revenge his wrongful imprisonment and the destruction of his young 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 and who is now the guardian of his daughter, Johanna, walks through his door to receive the closest shave he’s ever had. And, as is typical of works by Sondheim, this one consists of enigmatic and frequently discordant music and lyrics that, while often void of melody and lacking that hummable quality found desirable in conventional show tunes, still manages to touch the soul while challenging the intellect. Despite the show’s eccentricities, productions of it still require the same core components found in all musicals: talent on stage and talent behind it. The current production of “Sweeney Todd” at Blank Canvas Theatre has the former in spades but is woefully lacking in the latter. For more of this article, go to www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/bob_abelman/