By Brian Gray
Sweeney Todd at Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City may not be a Halloween horror story, but for opening around Halloween, it does happen to be the perfect thriller for those looking for a scare. Many audience members might be familiar with the movie adaptation of this Sondheim musical, which was directed by Tim Burton and using noir cartoonish stylings. The history of the story, in fact, dates back to the late Victorian /Industrial Revolution era in a series of ‘penny dreadfuls’ entitled The String of Pearls, based off of urban legends pertaining to the dubious source of meat for meat pies. Various iterations about a British barber who kills his clients and dispenses their bodies to his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, emerged, claiming that these bodies were then baked into meat pies. The story audiences may be most familiar with was adapted for theatre in 1973 by Christopher Bond. Shortly thereafter, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler adapted the play as a musical in 1979.
The story of Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is about a once-successful London barber , Benjamin Barker, who once had a wife and a child. Judge Turpin (Joe Dellger), jealous of the barber’s marriage, detains him and sends him off in exile to Australia so that Turpin may move in on Barker’s wife. The play opens with the arrival of Benjamin Barker in London under the pseudonym Sweeney Todd (Kevin Earley). The long years of prison exile have worn him down to a misanthrope, as the first song, No Place Like London, a duet with Anthony Hope (Jonathan Shew) indicates. As Sweeney Todd wanders London, he comes upon Mrs. Lovett (Anne Tolpegin) who makes “The worst pies in London,” below Todd’s old barber shop. Upon learning about the Judge’s transgressions toward Todd’s wife, and how he is now the ward of Todd’s daughter Johanna (Delaney Westfall), Todd swears to take revenge by taking up barbering once again. After proving his skill against the rival barber Pirelli (James Donegan), Todd establishes himself as the premiere barber in London, but becomes carried away in killing his patrons and sending their corpses to Mrs. Lovett to bake into her pies (which have become the best pies in London in the song “God That’s Good!”).
In the Pioneer Theatre production of Sweeney Todd, directed and choreographed by Karen Azenburg, the grit of the Industrial Revolution is brought to the forefront. The set, created by George Maxwell, features two enormous cogs that intermittently spin throughout the play, and large steel buttresses that seem to imply a setting beneath another structure such as a bridge. These elements loom over the cast, giving the audience a sense of how small everyone is in the forward progress of Industry. The costumes designed by Brenda Van Der Wiel come in various grungy assortments of faded patterns that reflect the poverty of London at the time. The Paul Miller’s lighting is also shaded and patterned to reflect the dirty urban reality of the time period with subtle accents and shadows. The richness of the set in portraying the Industrial Revolution comes together as a character of its own, providing extra commentary on rapid urbanization, industrial progress, and their effects on the human condition. The set reminds us that the only reason Sweeney Todd is able to get away with these crimes is due to the expendability of people during this time period.
The performances of this production are excellent throughout. Backed by a live orchestra conducted by Phil Reno, the ensemble numbers are rich, lively, and entertaining, filled with engaging choreography that utilize the entirety of the stage. Kevin Earley’s performance of Sweeney Todd is deft, carrying the character with gravity, but also hitting the deadpan comedic timing perfectly. In a story such as this, where the main character is fairly static, much falls on the rest of the cast. Anne Tolpegin nearly steals the show as Mrs. Lovett, reacting well to Earley’s performance. Joe Dellger as Judge Turpin is very memorable, particularly with Earley in the duet “Pretty Women.”Overall, the story and the setting really pulled me into the time period, and gave intriguing insight throughout Fleet Street. Additional props to dialect coach Sarah Shippobotham: accents are excellent throughout the play.
While trick-or-treating, costume parties, and haunted houses are staples, be sure to make your autumn season complete by attending a performance of the Pioneer Theatre Company’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Note: Sweeny Todd is a rather grisly play (pun) and I’d recommend it for either very mature tweens or teens and up. A pretty solid PG-13 for mature themes.
Pioneer Theatre Company presents Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler
Pioneer Theatre at the University of Utah, 300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
October 26 – November 10, 2018, 7:00 PM Monday-Thursday, 7:30 PM Friday-Saturday, 2:00 PM Saturday matinee PM
Tickets: $44 – $66
Contact: 801-581-6961
Pioneer Theater Company Facebook Page
Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street Facebook Event
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