By Elise C. Barnett-Curran
Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, playing at the Heritage Theatre in Perry, Utah, is a runaway train to hell. Chorus members thrash through a jungle of tangled, intricate, powerful notes, principles ride a wave of comedy and horror over the same complex melodies, and above all floats the story of Sweeney (Hugh Hanson), a barber with a soul so black and gnarled that none can save him. He returns to Fleet Street a broken and bitter man, having been sent away on a trumped-up charge and then rescued from a shipwreck 15 years later to learn his wife poisoned herself and his daughter is in the clutches of a foul and lecherous judge. He seeks revenge, becoming consumed with the singular thought while helped along in his crimes by the delightfully wretched Mrs. Lovett (Megan Nelson).
Hanson both directs and plays Sweeney in a double cast role, and I saw him on Friday night. Hanson’s bass voice is peerless and powerful, nailing the low notes with facile grace and then pounding the belts with unparalleled operatic deftness. There is a nimbleness to Sondheim’s score that Sweeney plods over, and the heaviness juxtaposed with the light, lilting accompaniment is playful and spine-chilling all at once.
The Heritage Theater boasts a live orchestra, with Noelle Sadler on piano, Amanda Bradford on percussion, and Jessica Morgan on violin. The devilishly tricky music is executed quite aptly by the musicians, who sometimes had to catch up if an actor came in a hair too soon (quite an easy thing to do in Sweeney, as it is an extremely difficult piece as a whole). I enjoyed the sparseness of the sound for the most part, though of course I found myself craving a full string section. But the fact that these three musicians hod their own and accompany these actors with panache is to be commended.
Nelson’s Mrs. Lovett is just wonderful. She is perfectly paired with Hanson as she is very nearly the polar opposite: buoyant, funny, cheerful, and feeling. I could see her gearing up to get her heart broken even in early scenes, something I’ve never seen in a portrayal of Mrs. Lovett before. It is new and fresh and lovely, and it bolsters her already stellar performance.
Sweeney is an unusual show as it calls for a coloratura soprano as well as two countertenors, a hefty feat, particularly for community theater to pull off. Savannah Moffat as Johanna and Rylan Merkley and Brady Hodgson as Beadle Bamford and Signor Pirelli are up to the task, taking it to the rafters with beauty and finesse.
My favorite aspect of Sweeney is the chorus, and this one is led to success. The makeup concept by Hanson and Moffat has all the members in pale death masks, looking as though they had kicked the bucket already. I was tickled pink by this as well as by the ghost-like choreography by Rebecca Crowley and Ciera Hanson. Not only is the singing on par, but the movement is strange and herky jerky, driving the eldritch surrealism home.
Other noteworthy elements are the lighting by Michele McGarry and Tevin Coburn and the stage management by McGarry (who also played Lucy Barker). The space is an abstruse yet charming one, with higgledy piggledy entrances and actors forced to stand off on the sides, flattening themselves to the walls so as to appear “offstage.” This presents a special lighting and stage management challenge, and one could see the effort put into such things. I applaud McGarry and Coburn for what they were able to do.
I do not wish to spoil the ending of Sweeney Todd as I heard a man sitting next to me whisper an appalled “OH” when he discovered the big mystery at the crux of the show. It is a delight to know there are still people finding this marvelous, witty, wicked masterpiece of a play for the first time, one I consider Sondheim’s best. Heritage is a bit of a trek up north, but it is a wonderful, fabulous adventure to travel to see a special production of a timeless story.
The Heritage Theatre presents Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler.
Heritage Theater, 2505 US-89, Perry, UT 84302
October 11 – November 2, 2019 Matinees October 19, October 26, 2019 Tickets: $12
Contact: 435-723-8392
The Heritage Theatre Facebook Page
Sweeney Todd Facebook Event
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