Review: SWEENEY TODD at The Laboratory Theater Of Florida

The Lab's production of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET brings the dark Stephen Sondheim musical to life on stage. The show follows Sweeney Todd as he seeks revenge on a judge who sent him to jail, harmed his wife, and now keeps Sweeney Todd's daughter as his ward.

David Rode plays Sweeney Todd, and he does an excellent job. He perfectly expresses the dark, sinister motivations of Todd, and he has a fantastic voice. I really enjoyed his performance, and thought he was a good pair with Sharon True as Mrs. Lovett (at my performance). Sharon True's performance as Mrs. Lovett was thoroughly enjoyable. Though her character ends up using the bodies of Sweeney Todd's victims for her meat pies, an incredibly horrible act, she was still very funny. Gabrielle Lansden plays Johanna, Sweeney Todd's daughter, and she gave a beautiful performance. She is a wonderful singer and did a great job at portraying Johanna's emotions through the story. Johanna becomes the love interest of Anthony (Cameron Rogers), and I thought they were a captivating pair. River Reed plays Tobias, and he did a good job playing the young, innocent boy who may not be as innocent as he seems. Trace Meier plays Judge Turpin and Jack Weld plays Beadle Bamford, and they both did very well portraying these awful, devious characters. The rest of the cast and ensemble brought the show together.

The creative team for Sweeney Todd includes Director Paul Graffy, Assistant Director Madelaine Weymouth, and Music Director Roz Metcalf. I thought they did excellent work directing each aspect of this production, and I give them major kudos for bringing such a big show to life. I also really enjoyed some of the technical aspects of the show, including the barber chair that Sweeney Todd claims his victims in. It was incredibly creative.

SWEENEY TODD is a massive production, and I think The Lab did a great job at bringing it to their stage. It was dark, creative, horrific, funny, and much more.

For tickets and more information, click the link below.

Photo Credits: Sisk Media

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