Trustus Theatre opened its 39th Season on September 29th with Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This often produced thriller-musical from 1979 is a mainstay of the American Theatre cannon, having gone on to a film adaptation by Tim Burton in 2007, being hilariously featured on Season 7, Episode 3 of The Office (“Andy’s Play”), and currently running on Broadway with a full orchestra and star-studded cast. With Trustus Theatre having produced two lauded productions from Sondheim’s catalog (Assassins, Company) in the past twelve seasons, expectations were high on opening night for Columbia’s professional theatre which has had great success with Halloween-adjacent programming like Evil Dead and The Rocky Horror Show. A sold out audience filled the intimate Thigpen Main Stage with applause and laughter throughout the evening, which is just short of a three hour experience, ultimately proving that this unexpected murderous musical still connects with us in the 21st Century - though this particular production proves to be somewhat anemic.
The character Sweeney Todd originated in penny dreadfuls, the favored serialized fiction of the Victorian Era. The musical humanizes the murderous barber by introducing plot elements that allow viewers to connect with and, at times, even pull for Todd. The story follows Sweeney Todd’s obsessed quest for vengeance against the tyrannous and corrupt Judge Turpin - who exiled Todd on false charges. Upon returning to Fleet Street, Todd meets the meat-pie-making Mrs. Lovett who reveals that Todd’s wife was raped by Turpin and that he also imprisoned Johanna (Todd’s daughter) and made her his ward. With Lovett restoring Todd’s single edge razors to him, his “right arm is complete” and there will be blood (well, disappointingly very little blood appears in the Trustus production). It’s a deranged plot for an opéra comique, but this complex script and score does it so well that it won the Tony Award for Best Book, Best Original Score and Best Musical (among others) in 1979.
Music Directors Amanda Hines and Ayushi Joshi did an admiral job of reducing the 26-piece orchestra that the show was written for, to an effective combo of piano, violin, clarinet, double bass and percussion. Savannah Elgin on violin was most notable, with this voice giving the production the sophistication that this score desires.
The Trustus Company members who were entrusted with the sacred roles of the play were the greatest success of this production. Christopher Cockrell, who plays the demon barber, commands the stage with poise and coolness. Coming into the role with the experience it requires,Cockrell is a winning Todd having appeared in all of Trustus’ previous Sondheims, and playing many major roles for the classically-trained vocalist like Jekyll & Hyde and Jean Valjean. Matching Cockrell’s unquestionable skill is Katrina Garvin in the role of Mrs. Lovett. Garvin brings her powerfully delicious vocals to Sondheim’s score, and utilizes her expert musicality and undeniable magnetism to bring Lovett to life - making her an audience favorite. She is genuinely funny while not playing for laughs, and provides the much-needed levity that the script intends. Also providing many giggles and guffaws throughout the evening due to their character commitment are Company members Hunter Boyle and Jonathan Monk, who portray The Beadle (Turpin’s manservant and secondary antagonist) and Adolfo Pirelli (a sleazy “Italian” snake-oil-selling barber) respectively. Both actors are comic maestros who connect with the audience and react accordingly in the moment, making it very fun to follow their tracks. Though the Beadle character could be darker - more despicable and threatening - Boyle leans into a Beadle that seems to enjoy simply knowing he has power, and it ultimately works in this production (whether or not it was the authors’ intent).
Mandy Applegate, who plays The Beggar Woman, is a clear standout in this cast. With short bursts of storytelling shrouded in a cape, Applegate proves herself to be one of Columbia’s finest performers every time she takes on a role. This production benefits greatly from her performance, effectively mixing the mystery and intensity that the role demands.
When one considers the rest of the casting, it becomes clear that this production would have been better served with more of the theatre’s resident company members on the stage. When looking at the company roster in the playbill, we see some of Columbia’s most notable and trusted musical theatre talents. Rather than a who’s-who slate of actors that many Sondheim productions have possessed here in Columbia, the rest of this production’s ensemble is composed primarily of who-are-theys. It cannot be denied how important it is to introduce new talent to our stages, but this production seems to decline due to inexperienced performers who make the proceedings feel more like church pageantry rather than a professional production in the hands of skilled technicians.
Though some of the casting could be credited with, what feels like, an undercooked production, perhaps the challenges lie with the director. Patrick Michael Kelly has been at the helm of many successful and effective productions of 20th Century classics here in Columbia. However, according to his selected playbill credits, Kelly has had no experience directing musicals or large ensemble casts. The grandeur and demand of Sweeney Todd may have been an overwhelming task, and it shows.
The staging of this production fires on all cylinders when it is limited to 2 to 3 performers on the boards, however it becomes incredibly static and disinteresting when the number of performers increases. The ensemble is misused, embodying none of the swell and motion of the music - rather opting for imbalanced stage pictures as they park and bark. This production could have used a choreographer. Other strange choices were made as well, with the entire spectacle of the killings being left for dead. Basically everyone who succumbed to Sweeney’s blades gagged in the barber’s chair (a leather office chair), and then walked off stage - sometimes looking back at the barber as if to say “not cool.” At the most pivotal moment of violence, we waited anxiously as a member of the ensemble soaked a rag in red water and then splashed it on the victim’s face. This victim also got up and walked off stage. It is unclear if this is an unsuccessful use of stylized storytelling, an ill attempt at Poor Theatre, or if the production team just gave up on creating the illusions that make this musical so thrilling. An inordinate amount of time was also added to the evening with pregnant scene changes in Act I where birds were piped in through speakers, and the cast mumbled as they slowly moved platforms around. It is clear from the band’s tacet that Sondheim did not intend these breaks in the storytelling.
The production designers did a commendable job in creating the mid-1800s world of the play. Marc Hurst’s lighting design produced impact in many of the climactic moments, accentuated the music and provided sculptural looks that captured the creep-factor needed for the piece. Though Danny Harrington’s set provided scene change challenges, it was appropriately looming, spooky and well-styled, providing us with the grit and grime of London at the time. Jessica Bornick’s costumes felt well researched and executed, although everyone in the filthy smoke-ridden streets of London looked freshly laundered and pressed.
This production will tighten up over its run, and if you’re a fan of Sondheim and this show - you will definitely enjoy hearing some of your favorite songs in the hands of a talented principal cast. It will also augment your horror digestion through October as we approach Halloween. Trustus Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street runs through October 28th, with plenty of opportunities to “attend the tale.” You can get tickets at trustus.org, and you can also donate there. We recommend you do so with the memo: “barber chair and blood effects fund.”