SWEENEY TODD

by Stephen Sondheim

Casa Manana Theatre

Performance date: November 10, 2009

Reviewed by Gina Robertson,

Associate Theatre Critic for

John Garcia's THE COLUMN

SWEENEY TODD

Casa Manana's production of Sweeney Todd hit me like a blowtorch to the brain last night. It's partly because I had only a vague awareness of the title as a famous Broadway show, and I had mixed it up in my mind with Billy Elliot and Oliver! I arrived expecting a lighthearted, uplifting story about orphan boys. When my 10-year-old companion saw the blood-spattered title on the playbill above the menacing image of a barber's razor in a pool of blood, his eyes lit up and he said, "I think I'm gonna like this one!" As we left the theatre, he begged, "Can we see it again?"

We will, but we'll have to hurry because the show runs only until November 15, and you'll want to make sure that you don't miss it. Sweeney Todd is "the demon barber of Fleet Street," a Victorian era London man who becomes consumed with rage and murderous revenge after a corrupt judge frames him and dispatches him to permanent exile in prison so he can have the man's wife, whom he subsequently rapes. The prisoner returns 15 years later as Sweeney Todd to learn that his beloved wife has poisoned herself after being raped by the judge, and their infant daughter Johanna has been raised as a foster child by the wicked judge himself.

Yes, poor Sweeney has quite a lot to be perturbed about. Todd's landlady runs an unsuccessful shop selling meat pies made from whatever creatures she's able to capture on the dirty streets of London. When she discovers the murderous tendencies of her insane tenant, the story goes in a bizarre direction as she cheerfully converts this horrifying development into a business opportunity.

Todd's victims become a reliable source of fresh meat for her pies. This production, with a celebrity cast plucked from the stages of Broadway in New York, is impressive because it is huge. With a complex interplay of lighting, special effects, makeup and costumes, sound, props, orchestra, and a large ensemble cast, there are many opportunities for things to go wrong. It is not by chance that all of these pieces fit together perfectly and that everything goes right, down to a surprising level of detail.

The stage is enormous, with even more dimension added by the use of complex structures and set pieces that move around a lot among the characters, often with other characters perched precariously on top. The actors must use precise timing and focused attention as they maneuver these things and themselves on the dimly lit stage. That they do this while delivering a flawless performance is an awesome achievement. The scope of the set is expanded even further by incorporating the wide aisles of the house where much of the action takes place amongst the audience, often touching and engaging audience members directly with dialogue.

The cast is unforgettable. This play has been criticized for its one-dimensional characters, Sweeney Todd in particular, but Norm Lewis's Todd is more than just a madman filled with fury and hatred. He's a barber who takes competitive pride in his craft and obviously enjoys it. He was once a husband and a father, and Lewis shows us that aching loss. He is alone in the world, with nothing to live for except revenge, but Lewis shows us that he is human.

His loneliness is relieved when he connects with Mrs. Lovett, the only person in the world who understands his pain and anger. She offers him a place in her home, wants to make it pretty and comfortable for him, and Lewis swells the character with a sense of relief and gratitude that lightens his gloomy disposition and makes him seem genuinely content for a moment.

We even glimpse the remains of his ruined conscience at one point. After the first murder, when confronted by Mrs. Lovett, he confesses what he did by gesturing with slight reluctance and just a hint of shame as he waits for her reaction.

More than just a talented actor, Lewis belts out the song lyrics in a voice that demands recognition. He transitions smoothly from pain and anger to humor and irony in songs like "Pretty Women" and "A Little Priest." Lewis creates for us a Sweeney Todd with a sense of humor and emotion that goes far beyond insanity or destructive fury.

Joy Hermalyn as Mrs. Lovett enjoys an entertaining chemistry with Lewis that is apparent in every scene. They are always in sync, with perfectly timed reactions and expressions that enhance comedy, drama, and the complex patterns of human emotion. Hermalyn is vivid and intense but never begins to chew on the scenery as the character invites her to do. She's as fun to watch in delivering straight dialogue as in the musical numbers.

In other productions Mrs. Lovett has been portrayed with sarcasm and acerbic wit as a delightfully evil monster, which works well but is a rather lazy way of explaining her motivations. Hermalyn's version is more interesting psychologically because she is pleasant and upbeat, even while lamenting the sad state of her little shop, which offers "the worst pies in London." She accepts Sweeney Todd into her life despite his eccentric desire to cut the throats of his barbershop customers, and she genuinely cares for him and others.

Thus, when she proposes to serve pies to her customers made from the human flesh of Todd's victims, she is not a monster but simply an unrelenting optimist who sees transformative opportunity in even the most unlikely events. This version of Mrs. Lovett is a better fit to the story than the bitter, evil monster because it's her ability to see transformative opportunity that draws her to Sweeney Todd and allows her to accept him as he is, with hope that he might heal and become a better man.

The third character that Sweeney Todd relies on for maximum psychic impact is Judge Turpin. "Chilling" doesn't even begin to describe what this man is. Sometimes a villain can become more villainous when he's given some small measure of goodness or sympathy. If in one or two moments he is attractive and understandable as a person, he becomes more menacing because he is real, like he could be the person sitting next to you in the audience; he could be anybody, including yourself.

The one-dimensional Snidely Whiplash villain twirling his mustache all dressed in black as he goes around doing bad things because he is bad isn't effective or interesting as a character.

In the hands of Walter Charles, Judge Turpin almost seems to go in the opposite direction—a zero-dimensional character. Where Todd and Mrs. Lovett are both very human and real despite their grisly crimes, Charles's Judge Turpin is like a Victorian era Freddy Krueger, made up of nothing more substantial than your worst nightmare. Real or not, he has the power to make you wet yourself in terror.

His character doesn't commit bloody murder, yet Charles makes him more frightening than Sweeney Todd and repulsive in every way. It's an interesting choice for Charles and the directors to make because there's a lot of room for humanity in this character. Sure, he's a corrupt judge and a rapist who uses his power and privilege to destroy people's lives in order to get what he wants, but he took in an orphaned little girl and raised her as his own.

Surely that accounts for some good in the man, and his desire for Johanna could be understandable, especially since he knows it's wrong and begs God's forgiveness. When he proposes to marry her instead of just raping her like her mother, this could indicate some sense of honor in him as well as genuine concern for her best interests.

Judge Turpin could be presented that way, but not this time. The elements that could be enhanced to make him more human and a three dimensional villain are used instead to make him simply terrifying because none of these things is able to touch him. His lust, the mental anguish it causes him, and his role as a foster dad to Johanna come not from genuine feeling but as a desperate attempt to feel something. This interpretation of Turpin explains all of his actions in this way, as attempts to fill the dreadful emptiness inside him. That emptiness comes through in Charles's performance in various ways to make this possibly the scariest villain the stage has ever seen. His singing voice is incredible, and what he does with "Johanna 2" will burn in my memory as the most intensely disturbing thing I've ever seen.

The rest of the cast and the ensemble are spectacular as well at what they do, though none of the other characters are developed beyond the level of a snapshot. The young lovers, Anthony and Johanna, are generic, with standard devotion, determined to be together despite the forces conspiring to keep them apart. Pirelli is basically a bad accent come to life.

Collectively, though, they impress with the boundless energy and commitment they bring forth, the care taken in precise execution, and the attention given to every detail. Every member of this production cast gives 100% to every moment onstage.

The period costumes are extremely detailed, right down to the Victorian shoe covers (they're called "spats," did you know that?). Innovative stage pieces bring the characters high into the air, which makes a stunning visual effect when appropriately lighted. Stage entrances and exits are especially creative.

My only complaint was something in the sound quality in the first half of the first act made it very hard for me to understand what anybody said. It was something like an echo, so that every word bounced around within the massive silver dome that encloses this theatre. Being unfamiliar with the story, this left me frustrated and disconnected until it was fixed and I was able to follow the story.

Considering what's invested in this production, in time, money, hard work, and creative design, it's a shame it will enjoy only a one-week run. Catch it while you can and let Sweeney Todd live forever wedged in the vulnerable cracks of your fragile psyche.

Reviewed by Gina Robertson, Associate Theatre Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN

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Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD Casa Manana Theatre Playing through November 15th, 2009

Tuesday – Thursday 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday 8:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday 2:00 pm; and Sunday at 7:00 pm

TIXS: $35-55 See http://www.casamanana.org/broadway/sweeney.html or call 817-332-2272 for tickets.