Theatre Review: ACT- Sweeney Todd Is Razor Sharp

American Conservatory Theater (ACT) opened its 41^st season with the re-envisioned interpretation of Steven Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Straight from Broadway to San Francisco before launching a national tour, many of the original actors reprise their roles in the John Doyle production that garnered rave reviews and 2 Tony Awards. Bay Area theatergoers are given the chance to enjoy Sweeney Todd until October 14^th, an extension of 16 performances past its initially planned run.

The protagonist is an innocent barber who was sent to an overseas prison in Australia by corrupt Judge Turpin and his crooked magistrate Beadle, intent on taking advantage of the barber’s wife. The story picks up after years of wrongful imprisonment, as the barber returns to London with the new identity of Sweeney Todd. Instead of a happy reunion with the wife and daughter he left behind, Todd is informed by Mrs. Lovett, the owner of the shop that sells the worst meat pies in London, that his wife went insane and committed suicide, leaving his daughter to be a ward of the judge. Taking pity on the barber, Mrs. Lovett takes him in and restores the razors that served him in his previous life. Before long, he and the pie shop owner are serving up mysterious meat pies with a side of vigilante justice.

It is a strange tale, indeed, especially for the likes of a musical. But if the audience can relate to the issues dealt with- love, hate, revenge- on a visceral level, they will embrace the characters and the story. This production succeeds in making that connection, even as a musical thriller, thanks to some fine performances and a unique staging that allows us to focus on the music and the performers. In fact, it succeeds with enough humor to keep the audience from realizing that murder really isn’t a laughing matter…at least until a twisted turn of events sheds blood-red light on the debilitating hold that vengeance has on the heart and mind.

David Hess portrayed Todd with such despair and seething anger that the audience sympathized with the character almost immediately. Once he won us over, his terrible wrath and maniacal vengeance seemed justified as he carries out his plans. It was almost vindicating to see the good guy behaving badly- even if the good guy was a serial killer. With every bloodied neck and its accompanying bucket of blood, he fell further from salvation, yet came closer to redemption. Equally enjoyable was Judy Kaye as Mrs. Lovett. Her part can be described as comic relief, if dark humor is to your liking. I often found myself laughing, perhaps at what would be considered inappropriate times by civilized people, at gallows humor. Referring to the stuffing of the pies in a tongue-in-cheek number titled “A Little Priest,” she jokes with Todd, “This might be a little bit stringy, but then of course it's... fiddle player!” The supporting cast, who also played the same roles on Broadway, are equally strong for the most part. One of the outstanding numbers is Johanna, sung with heartfelt emotion by as Antony, the love interest of Todd’s daughter for whom the song is titled.

What made the staging unique was that the actors also played their own instruments on stage. With a single setting and all actors on the stage at all time, the audience is forced to focus on the music and the performers, creating a more intimate setting in which they were always present. While it was probably a logistic nightmare in terms of staging and orchestrating, these professionals pull it off extremely well. Kaye not only sings and acts, but plays the tuba and percussion. Others play the cello, violin, keyboard, and clarinet. The instruments never interfered with the storytelling. Rather, they become instruments of storytelling themselves. For instance, the chords played on the clarinet by Diana DiMarzio as the Beggar Woman, are reflective of her psychological demeanor- shrill, startling, and discordant.

Sweeney Todd is one of the best offerings I have seen at ACT in the last couple of years. Hopefully this is indicative of the rest of the season, which include pieces by noted playwrights such as David Mamet (Speed-the-Plow), Athol Fugard (The Blood Knot) and Sam Shepard (Curse of the Starving Class).

Originally published: http://www.ucsf.edu/synapse/articles/2007/Sep/27/sweeney.html