Review: SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET at The Muny

Forty-three years after the original Broadway Production, SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET opened Saturday in Forest Park making its Muny Premiere. SWEENEY TODD is widely regarded as composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim's best work. While Soundheim was a collaborator on WEST SIDE STORY, many discount it as a Soundheim musical because he didn't write the score, he contributed the lyrics to Leonard Bernstein's score, a musical theater masterpiece. SWEENEY TODD tells the story of a cold-blooded murdering barber with a vengeful resentment for the judge who falsely imprisoned him. Todd's accomplice is Nellie Lovett who owns a meat pie bakery below Mr. Todd's barber shop. Mrs. Lovett and her macabre dark humor provides some comic relief to this gruesome tale of murder and revenge.

The Muny and its casting partners The Telsey Office have assembled a killer cast who deliver Soundheim's score with razor-sharp vocals. Ben Davis' (Sweeney Todd) characterization and descent into madness may be the finest acting performance ever to darken The Muny Stage. The only thing more delicious than Mrs. Lovett's pies is the wicked verbal waltz he and Carmen Cusack (Mrs. Lovett) deliver with 'A Little Priest' to end Act 1. Cusack's Lovett is baked with exceptional charm and wit as she delivers the blackest of comedy. Riley Noland's (Johanna) operatic soprano and Jake Boyd's (Anthony Hope) silky tenor pair pleasingly. The ensemble's robust presence, serving as a Greek chorus to drive the narrative, is felt every time they take the stage. The chorus' dark and brooding presence opens the production with 'The Ballad of Sweeney Todd' and drags you into this grim tale of murderous madness.

One of the considerations when taking on a production of SWEENEY TODD is the difficulty of Soundheim's score. But staging SWEENEY TODD with its operatic score and the difficult text that sings more like a libretto in the vast Muny theater poses an entirely different challenge for a music director and sound designer. That is the real victory to this Muny production, Music Director James Moore, the Muny orchestra, and Sound Designers John Shivers and David Patridge have collaborated to provide a feast for the ears. Every syllable sung, even Sweeney's whisper, was audible and played all the way to the back of the enormous 11,000 seat theater. This may be the best collaboration in sound design in The Muny's 104-year history.

Every element of this grim tale is gripping. Scenic Designer Michael Schweikardt uses a simple single set piece on the turntable that allows for quick scene changes. Caite Hevner's video design compliments the set and provides a dark view of the London streets and skyline combined with the requisite blood splatter when Sweeney Todd slay's his victims.

This production of SWEENEY TODD is a Muny masterpiece. It is among the best productions to ever play The Muny stage.

The Muny's SWEENEY TODD will be slaying audiences through July 22nd. For more information visit muny.org. To purchase tickets, visit The Muny Box Office in Forest Park or visit metrotix.com.

Photo credit: Julie A. Merkle

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