By Paul Smith
“Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd! / He served a dark and a hungry god! / To seek revenge may lead to hell / But everyone does it. Though seldom as well.”
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street made its haunting debut at Village Square Theatre this past Friday. With a full cast of 27, each actor banded together to tell the tale of a nightmare barber from 180 years ago.
Sweeney Todd is a character who first appeared in the 1846 literature A String of Pearls. Todd, who lives on Fleet Street, would murder his customers and then give the corpses to Mrs. Lovett, the baker, who bakes them into meat pies that she sells from her shop. This story stayed within the zeitgeist of British culture until 1979, when the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opened on Broadway. With a book by Hugh Wheeler and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, this interpretation sends Sweeney Todd (Tracy Steele) on a quest for revenge after his unjust incarceration and the poisoning of his wife by the town’s Judge Turpin (Nathan Dawson). This production of the show asks you to question the justification of Sweeney’s revenge. In the face of a truly corrupted society, does the violence create change, or does it continue the cycle of “man devouring man?”
As the titular character, Tracy Steele brings a humanity to this nightmare barber that this reviewer has not seen in other portrayals of Sweeney Todd. Steele has a way of connecting to his fellow cast members and showing the audience glimpses of what Benjamin Barker was like before he became Sweeney. These moments contrast with his dark side, which comes out in full force with a father-like fervor over his razors and an obsessive lust for revenge. By the end of the show, Steele makes the audience question whether or not there is a Sweeney Todd inside us all.
Julia Hudson stands on her own as Mrs. Lovett, performing with nuance and quick wit as she hurtles through Sondheim’s gauntlet of songs. She finds a middle ground between the love that Lovett feels for Sweeney while also making bold choices in intonation and comedic timing that could only come from a character like Mrs. Lovett. Hudson has a wonderful arc with Tobias Ragg (Kyran Burkett), ending with the heart-wrenching song they share, “Not While I’m Around.” Burkett finds the hope living within Tobias and wears it on his sleeve, making the end of the show all the more devastating.
A standout role comes from Beadle himself (Shay Hattaway), who brings a bright air of bureaucratic levity to the dark city of London. He laughs with glee as he enacts the dastardly deeds of the Judge, and he just might put a smile on your face too. Speaking of, Judge Turpin (Nathan Dawson) brings a grounded presence to the stage with the confidence of a practiced politician. These two sing “Kiss Me (Part 2)/Quartet” with the show’s love birds, a clear crowd favorite of the night.
Brady Davis plays Anthony, the sailor hopelessly in love with a girl he cannot have. The crooning timbre of his voice sold the desire in “Johanna,” one of the most iconic “I want” songs in musical theatre. Brady played opposite Liberty Broussard who, as Johanna, brought a frenetic energy to every one of her scenes. Much like the “Green Finch and Linnet Bird,” Johanna is the bird in the cage. Both Broussard and Davis were well cast, having voices that meld together to become more than the sum of their parts.
Other notable characters include the Beggar Woman (Shelby Sessler), whose eccentric interjections into the story showed off her dynamic range, as well as Adolfo Pirelli (Brandon Campbell), showing off his falsetto and comedic chops in a grand shaving duel.
The ensemble consists of Anna Farley, Carissa Ferro, Cole Allen, Gavin Bost, Jenna Sweeney, Katie Wagner, Kory Taylor, Liam Amil, Maegan Hodges, Max Ferro, Natalie Sellers, Teresa Thames, Tobias Shaw, Tyler Elling-Bowie, Victoria Tanaka, and Virginia Walker, with Clare Henry, Emily Grace McIntyre, and Mary Beth Westbrook as Pit Singers. Performing a Sondheim musical is no easy feat, but props to Musical Director Tres Taylor and the cast. You can see the practice that this ensemble has put in to learn their harmonies and articulate each line so that this story is told clearly.
The ensemble works as a sort of Greek chorus to inform the audience of activity taking place between the scenes of the show. You can tell that Movement Choreographer Mandy Applegate has empowered the cast with movement and dance that supports the narrative of the show. “City on Fire” is a particular moment in the show where the direction and choreography work in their favor to bring the audience into that chaotic scene.
Director Bakari Lebby had a wonderful vision for the show. In the program, a director’s note explains that the production is influenced by the various versions of Little Shop that came before it, as well as the punk archetypes that challenged the societal issues of 1970s London/New York. Sitting in the audience, listening to hits by “Broken Social Scene” and “Gorillaz,” the audience was excited for this raw, anti-establishment take on Sweeney Todd. However, this reviewer feels more could have been done to capture this essence of punk in the show.
The costuming is where I truly saw the director’s vision come to life. Kira Nessel brought a shocking amount of color to this city of London. The ensemble wore brightly colored jackets and shirts reminiscent of popular 70s fashion. High class was represented by the addition of makeup, colorful eye shadow, and lipstick, creating what I can only call a “Yassified” Judge Turpin and Beadle. This also extends to Mrs. Lovett, symbolizing her attempts to appear more upper class than she is. Contrasted with this design is Sweeney Todd in stark white, black, or brown, solidifying his lower-class status while also allowing him to blend into the mundanity of his environment.
The set design was a joint project by Bakari Lebby and Tobias Shaw. It shows us a set of vignettes of different locations rooted on the stage. There are a number of high points in the set. The wall of the pie shop opening up into the furnace is wonderful. The bell at the bottom of the stairs evokes a moment of eerie finality before a victim walks into the barbershop and is quite literally music to this reviewer’s ears. Sweeney Todd’s barber chair is so iconic, and this incarnation in sickly, surgical “green” does not disappoint. Unfortunately, the balcony on stage can sometimes cover up other scenes in Judge Turpin’s house. This reviewer would advise audience members to find seating toward the center left of the theatre for the most action.
The other essential members of this show are, of course, Lighting Designer Lauren Sherr, Lighting Operator Reese Johnson, Sound Operators Ricky Cartner and Jocelyn Thompson, and Technical Director Bill German.
If you have a penchant for true crime or a curiosity for the morbid, come see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Village Square Theatre. The show runs through May 17. For tickets visit villagesquaretheatre.com.
Paul Smith is a Columbia, SC native with 12 years of acting experience within community and professional theatre. He pursued a theatre degree at Winthrop University and supplemented education with experience, working as an actor in various theatres and amusement parks around the area. When he was a senior, Paul reached out into the world of theatre and participated in the Openjar Institute program in New York and spending a semester at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in London, developing an expertise in Shakespearean works, Classical Acting, and just a little bit of Elizabethan Court dance. After graduating, Paul moved to New York to continue his theatre education, training at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade and the Barrow Group. Paul has just recently moved back to Columbia after spending some time at sea working for Disney Cruise Lines, and is looking to integrate himself back into the theatre community here at home.