Stephen Sondheim. The name has been adored and dreaded, embrace and mocked, but the work behind that name always leaves an impression. With a slew of award-winning productions from “Into The Woods” to “Follies,” “A Little Night Music” and “Anyone Can Whistle,” Sondheim has the talents and prowess that have made him deserving of the success he has maintained for so long. In the midst of all this success is what many fans consider to be one of his strongest achievements – a musical by the name of “Sweeney Todd.”
Telling the tale of “the demon Barber of Fleet Street” who exists in English lore and may or may not have been a real criminal, “Sweeney Todd” contains some of the most swelling music and spine-tingling lyrics of Sondheim’s career. It comes as little surprise that this musical has been affectionately nicknamed “a musical of the macabre,” but it is refreshing that the 2006 revival of the show, which is now touring across the United States after a successful run on Broadway, adds a new dimension beyond gore.
With John Doyle helming this revival as director and acting as designer for the show, “Sweeney Todd” takes on a whole new dimension of insanity that was not present in the original staging of Sondheim’s musical. This take on the storyline – switched from a narrative account of Sweeney Todd’s revenge spree to a story told by patients in an insane asylum – breathes an entirely new feeling of eeriness into the storyline.
Doyle’s breathtakingly simplistic staging adds another dimension of clarity to Sweeney Todd’s murderous rage. With the single shelving unit running up the back of the stage, highlighted with a spot on objects relative to the characters being showcased, Doyle uses the set design to emphasize the characters that bring this story to life. Add to this the fact that Doyle did away with an orchestra and replaced it with each character playing their own definitive instrument and you not only get the same music for which Sondheim has been lauded, but you also get to see his characters defined in a new light.
This innovative staging of “Sweeney Todd” allows the vocal prowess of this cast to shine more brightly than it might have in a more lusciously-staged version. With the attention focused not only on the actors’ abilities to play their given instruments but also on their singing abilities, the cast inclusions of Judy Kaye as Mrs. Lovett and David Hess as Sweeney Todd truly stand out. Following Patti LuPone’s tremendous take on Mrs. Lovett in the Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd,” Judy Kaye’s character stands solidly on her own merits and makes for a truly thrilling female accomplice.
The rest of this touring cast stands just as strongly, especially Edmond Bagnell who, in the role of Tobias, acts as the primary story-teller in this innovative retelling of the Sweeney Todd tale. However a cast, no matter how strong, cannot carry a show alone. The music behind their voices is key, especially to a Stephen Sondheim show. Thanks to the strength of this cast, an already thoroughly enjoyable show is made even better, as the actors become one with the instruments they play. A huge credit must, once again, be given to John Doyle for taking an already strong show and making it even more breathtaking with his fresh take on its potential.
Of course, it would only be fair to also highlight the strengths of the Musical Supervisor and Orchestrator, Sarah Travis, as it was she who allowed for Doyle’s vision to become a reality – and a cognizant and emotional one at that. It should come as little surprise that she won the 2006 Drama Desk Award and the 2006 Tony Award for her orchestrations on the Broadway production of this Sweeney Todd revival. Keeping Sondheim’s soaring score and eerily grating soundtrack alive and breathing without an orchestra was undoubtedly a daunting task, and she successfully managed the transition not only for Broadway, but also for the doubly-demanding touring production.
Richard G. Jones’ lighting design brought the fourth and final dimension of power for this touring production of “Sweeney Todd” as it was he who turned what could be a fully enjoyable production of music and voice into a full-fledged theatrical production, adding dimension and emotion to a single set piece and a non-changing stage. As actors moved about the stage, creating new locations within their group, it was Jones’ lighting that allowed for the play to move from an assumed suspension of disbelief to a full-fledged immersion in the happenings onstage. Sunlight filtered through windows, shadows scurried through the pie shop, blood poured forth by the bucket.
With clear conscience can the assurance that even non-theater-fans will be blown away by this show be given. You are not going to want to miss this “Sweeney Todd;” it will be a night out that you will remember for years to come.