Review: SWEENEY TODD: DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET at Actors Theatre of Little Rock

Immersive theatre is now my favorite way of watching a theatrical production. The actors are up close and personal where you can see every emotion, they don’t need mics, and they make you feel like you are part of the show. This was my experience at The Actors Theatre of Little Rock’s performance of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. Presented in the Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, 1601 S. Louisiana St, in Little Rock, this historic building was the perfect location for this Stephen Sondheim/Hugh Wheeler horror musical. I loved it so much that I would watch it again and again. This show does run through October 8, so get your tickets, because there may not be any left if you wait. And as your official Audience Representative, I am telling you to buy the immersive package! 

Sweeney Todd (Gregory Robinson) was sent away from London on trumped up charges for 15 years and returns to find out that his wife poisoned herself and his daughter Johanna (Fernanda Posadas) was taken to live with Judge Turpin (Jamie Stewart). Mrs. Lovett (Monica Clark-Robinson) has Sweeney use the room above her meat pie store to open his new barber shop with intent to kill all of the people who have done him wrong. Afterwards, Mrs. Lovett grinds up their bodies and serves them in her pies, which turns out to be a big hit. Who lives and who dies? Go see the show! 

I love love love this production! I love everything about it! I love the location, I love the singular pianist (Christian Waldron), I love the ambiance, I love the costumes (Anthony McBride), I love the choreography (Xander Udochi, Emily Swenskie, KT Greer) all over the room, and, of course, I loved the actors—every single one of them! Since I sat in the immersive section, they were all around me—in front of me, sitting beside me, behind me--everywhere. It was awesome, and they stayed in character for the whole thing. I fell in love instantly with the whole cast. Director Mark A. Burbank did an amazing job with this show, and frankly, it’s going to be hard to beat.  

Now....this cast! The ensemble work was creative and breathtaking. The way they worked together with their harmonies and weaved in and out of the performance space was so mesmerizing. I couldn’t decide who I wanted to watch more. I found myself turning all sorts of ways just so I could try and catch everyone. Each performer brought a uniqueness to their character, and I couldn’t stop smiling from being so engrossed in the whole experience.  

The singing lovebirds of the cast—Caelon Colbert as Anthony Hope and Fernanda Pasadas as Johanna -- were such a lovely couple. They sang so sweetly that my daughter had heart eyes and turned to me and said Colbert could sing to her all day. Pasadas sang like a songbird and looked so much like her part, that I was really invested when her grotesque father Judge Turpin decided she was now a beautiful woman instead of a child and had sexual feelings for her. Stewart did an amazing job creeping me out, but then I do love a good bad guy! I had no remorse when Sweeney finally got to slice his head off, and Beadle Bamford (Jonathan Fili) was just as horrible—in a good way.  

Sweet Tobias Ragg (Ethan Patrick) captures your heart right away. He works well with his first boss Pirelli (Micah Patterson) selling hair tonic and then with his new family Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney. Though I’ve seen Patrick in other roles, this one is possibly my favorite so far. He exuded innocence and child-like mannerisms, even when he was sitting right next to me.....so cute! The fact that he was the last man standing was a surprise, and yet I was feeling sorry for him, because I had no idea who was going to take care of him after that.  

Real-life husband and wife duo Gregory and Monica Clark-Robinson brought the passion to their roles. Gregory’s Sweeney was intense throughout the whole musical. It was in their eyes, their body language, and their tone in his voice. There was nothing Ms. Lovett could say or do to keep Sweeney from his goal of killing the Judge. Monica was equally fabulous. She was so much fun to watch. Their song “A Little Priest” had the whole audience smiling as if they were in on the plan, and even though you knew their relationship was more or less not going to happen, you couldn’t help wanting her vision of “By the Sea” to work out for her.  

One of the biggest heartbreaks of the show was when Sweeney killed the Beggar Woman (Amelia Migliore). I forgot the significance of this character, but still was very sad that he did that. Then when I relearned her importance, it was tragic. Migliore was another fascinating one to watch. She utilized the whole room over and over and interacted with the audience so much, including myself. It was great! I loved her! She would go from calm and demure to erratic and crazy all within seconds. When she would get close to you, it was random on which personality she was going to portray. She had so much energy in her performance. Honestly, they all did. I was delighted from the time I entered the building to days after I left. In fact, I am still beaming about this show. Go see the show! Seriously....go see the show! To purchase tickets, visit https://actorstheatrelr.org. 

Broadway World would like to give a big THANK YOU to Matthew Sewell Photography for these fabulous pictures. If you haven’t been to his website, you need to check it out, because those headshots on there are beautiful. I love the dynamics in colors used to really make the pictures pop! 

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