BWW Reviews: SWEENEY TODD at Nashville Repertory Theatre

Nashville Repertory Theatre begins their 30th anniversary season with a bang. Sporting a new name (they were formerly known at Tennessee Repertory Theatre), Nashville Rep presents Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. With direction by René D. Copeland, a book by Hugh Wheeler and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd tells the horrific story of love, murder, deception, and deceitfulness.

Lighting by Michael Barnett added an eerie feel to the theatre from the moment you entered the doors. Paired perfectly with set design by Gary C. Hoff, the two help shape the emotions and the moods that the audience experiences throughout the show, and gives the entire production an eerie and ominous feel.

Matthew Carlton plays Sweeney Todd, a man with a past, who returns to London to seek the family he lost and the revenge he feels he is owed. In spite of his vengeful and murderous personality, Sweeney Todd is made human with Carlton's portrayal. Even if you don't agree with him, you can't help but have some feelings of sadness for the man

Sweeney Todd pairs up with an old friend and pie shop owner, Mrs. Lovett. Played by Martha Wilkinson, Mrs. Lovett remembers Todd from his former life and uses that knowledge to help Todd in his return to London and in enacting the revenge he feels he's owed. Wilkinson's portrayal of Mrs. Lovett was one of the highlights of the show for me. Wilkinson is the perfect Mrs. Lovett, giving her enough sanity and insanity to be both Todd's voice of reason AND his sidekick in his journey for revenge.

Galen Fott plays the cruel and evil Judge Turpin. Fott give Turpin that entitled attitude that makes the character feel truly dark. Turpin is such a good bad guy that I felt little remorse when he met his fate at the hands of our strangely evil protagonist, Sweeney Todd.

And, of course, no musical is complete without the love story to bring joy, even in the darkest of stories. Sailor Anthony, who helped save Sweeney Todd's life, and Johanna, a ward of Judge Turpin, meet and fall in love. Played by Nathan Meyer and Whitney Meyer (who happen to be married in real life), the make a sweet couple who seems destined to never be together due to fate and Johanna's overly protective caregiver, Judge Turpin.

The music in the show has a life of its own, as does most work of Stephen Sondheim. Somehow Sondheim can take any story and put it to song in perfectly amazing ways. From the top of the show, with "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," you can tell that this work will be different from most of the works of Sondheim, but still has his marks all over it. Sondheim also has a wonderful way of breaking the tension. In a show filled with darkness, he manages to toss in moments like "Pretty Women," a song sung with Sweeney Todd and Judge Turpin, and "A Little Priest" sung by Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett, that bring enough of a laugh that it breaks the tension and shifts the mood enough to keep the audience engaged.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street starts off Nashville Repertory Theatre's thirtieth anniversary season in the perfect way. Possibly one of the best performances I've seen all year, Sweeney Todd is a must see on my list of suggestions for the Halloween season. Showing through November 1st, you can purchase tickets by visiting their website or by calling the box office at (615) 782-4040.

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