Steven Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd is fiendish, in both subject and execution.
The story, subtitled The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, has its origin in mid-Victorian “penny dreadfuls” (cheap printed horror thrillers) and tells the gruesome tale of a barber, unjustly convicted and transported, who returns to take revenge on those who wronged him, and the world at large, by dispatching his victims with his razor and turning their corpses over to his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, to be baked into pies. Sondheim being Sondheim, however, there must be more to it than that, and the musical owes more to a play by Christopher Bond that makes Sweeney’s story tragic as well as terrible by giving the antiheroes more human motivations.
The scope of the score is diabolical — 80 percent sung-through, with even more than the usual Sondheimian dissonant harmonies, quirky time signatures, and clever rhymes, and parts ranging from deep bass notes for Todd to high, chirpy coloratura for the ingenue Johanna, all of which must carry clearly over a dozen instruments in the orchestra. Sondheim himself called the show a “dark operetta,” but that does not perhaps give it enough weight.
All this difficulty can be immensely rewarding to overcome, and Rockville Musical Theatre’s production is more than up to the challenge, providing chills and thrills aplenty.
Director Karen Fleming handles everything from the complexities of Jos. B. Musumeci Jr.’s ingenious set with all its sliding chairs, trapdoors, and rotating pieces, to the perennial problem of how to handle the gore (Stephen Deming’s red lighting effects), to the emotional arcs of the characters that range from almost nonexistent to deep and dark. Above all, Fleming maintains a mood that is rich, atmospheric, and creepy throughout, even in the very necessary scenes of comic relief. One of the most effective elements comes in Rikki Howie Lacewell’s choreography, which, from its startling swinging movements during the opening number to the zombie-like poses at the end, nails the sinister feeling. Linda Swann’s costumes are suitable, mostly somber and sometimes ragged, but with touches of opulence where needed. Stephen Deming’s lighting, too, is dark and atmospheric — perhaps at times a bit too much so, or perhaps the actors were at times still having trouble finding their lights when moving across the stage.
But the real focus of this show is the sound, and here it is top-notch. Stuart Y. Weich’s orchestra, visible in the orchestra pit as it should be for such an operatic work, is eerie, evocative, and rich. The balance is so good that even small chimes can be heard along with all the other instruments. Matthew Datcher’s sound design very effectively enables the voices to carry over the orchestra into the large auditorium of the Fitzgerald Theatre.
Above all are the voices. There is not a bum note in the bunch — all are excellent. Clearly the crème de la crème of the DC area’s musical actors came out for this show, and the best of them were cast. From the varied ensemble numbers full of quirky harmonies and counterpoint to the countertenor duet in the finale that brings chills, the chorus is tremendous.
As for the featured players, their acting is on par with their singing. Bob Schwartz nails his crazy cameo as the evil asylum proprietor. Elijah Beeler is very affecting as Tobias, especially in “Not While I’m Around,” one of the few moments of human-sized, accessible emotion in the show. Noah Beye provides very welcome comic relief along with his fine voice as Pirelli. Timothy Ziese was more than suitably slimy as Beadle Bamford. And Kenneth Darby’s Judge Turpin ricochets disturbingly from condemning criminals to mooning like a love-struck boy to (literally) flagellating himself, all delivered from a face and form that could belong to the Grim Reaper. As the Beggar Woman, Erin Branigan makes the most of switching from her keening cries of “Alms for a miserable woman!” and “City on Fire!!” to propositioning male characters to telling hints of who she used to be.
The principals well deserve all this excellent support. Hannah Siegel makes more of Johanna than perhaps the pretty blonde ingenue role deserves by leaning into the comedy of her vapid twittering — which makes it all the more satisfying a shock when she proves her mettle. Zac Brightbill hasn’t as much to work with in the male ingenue role of Anthony, having to deliver lines like “I’ll steal you, Johanna” and “I am in the dark beside you, buried sweetly in your yellow hair” without sounding like a stalker. It must be a challenge trying to play the only unironically romantic part in such a creepy show, but Brightbill, with his strong voice and sincere air, manages to pull it off.
Then there are the two roles on which the whole show hinges. With her vocal and acting variety, Iris DeWitt is all that Mrs. Lovett needs to be, comic and pining and practical by turns. Sondheim has said that she is the real villain of the piece, and with her instant embrace of her macabre solution to their business problems, plus her relentless assumption of Todd’s affection, she shows her satanic selfishness.
Ryan Power’s Sweeney Todd is the show’s real towering presence. From the beginning to the end of an epically demanding role, Power hits every note with a kind of savage elegance. Rather than being a crazed serial killer, he is a genuine tragic hero, driven to madness by his need for revenge, but all the while keeping his human dignity and thus enabling us to empathize with the incomprehensible. It is a remarkable performance.
One could make jokes about how this production “makes mincemeat” of the show’s difficulties or how “it cooks” or how “cutting edge” it is, but this talented cast and crew are worth more than that. Overall, RMT’s Sweeney Todd relishes the fiendish challenges of this monumental musical. As one audience member was heard to say, “This was better than some things I’ve seen at the Kennedy Center!”
Grab a ticket for the final weekend. You’ll have a diabolically good time.
Running Time: Approximately three hours including one 15-minute intermission.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street plays through November 17, 2024 (Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2 pm), presented by Rockville Musical Theatre performing at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Dr, Rockville, MD. For tickets ($26; $23 for students and seniors), call 240-314-8690 or go online.
COVID Safety: Masks optional.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Based on an adaptation by Christopher Bond
Directed by Karen Fleming
Music Directed by Keith Edward & Stuart Weich
Choreographed by Rikki Lacewell
Produced by Dana Robinson & Hayley North
