By Stephen Dubois
Sweeney Todd is a musical I absolutely love, ranking among my Top 10 favorite shows of all time. MusicalFare’s latest offering marks the eighth live production I’ve seen, following three professional productions—including an operatic interpretation at Glimmerglass, a rousing production at the Shaw Festival, and the infamous John Doyle staging in which the actors also played the orchestra—and four local productions over the years. Each has brought its own staging and artistic vision to the material, and this newest incarnation, with director Randall Kramer and choreographer Michael Walline at the helm, offers a dark, evocative journey into this tale of madness and all-consuming revenge.
The costuming, staging, makeup and overall color palette roughly adhere to the 60-30-10 design rule: in this case, 60% black, 30% white and 10% orange, with the addition of red used sparingly to signify blood. This is probably the tamest production I’ve seen in that regard. Other productions have drenched both the stage and performers in blood; here, its use is far more restrained. Even the squeamish might find it manageable — assuming, of course, they can get past the whole cannibalism thing.
For an actor, Sweeney Todd is a dream role, but it is hardly one anyone can simply waltz into without considerable experience. Listening to cast recordings, I’ve heard some seemingly unlikely singers make the character entirely their own, silencing any skepticism the moment they open their mouths. Michael Ball comes to mind in the 2012 London production. He could never have played the role when he was singing Marius in Les Misérables or Alex in Aspects of Love. The voice needs time to mature, like a fine wine, before it is “ready” for Sweeney.
To say Steve Copps was “ready” is a gross understatement. He owned this role. His performance was a tour de force from beginning to end: nuanced, focused, convincing and diabolically confident. I was almost surprised the playbill didn’t include a slip of paper announcing, “In this performance, the role of Sweeney Todd will be played by Benjamin Barker.” Copps’ transformation was that complete. His performance was career-defining and unforgettable, and, of the now eight productions I’ve seen, it is by far the strongest portrayal of Sweeney Todd personally witnessed.
As his counterpart, Amy Jakiel was an effective Mrs. Lovett, navigating the role’s considerable demands with skill. My theater companion reminded me of a story about Angela Lansbury asking Sondheim, “But when do I get to breathe?” His response? “You don’t.” It’s a fitting anecdote for a role that demands relentless energy, precision and comic timing, all while keeping pace with Sondheim’s notoriously difficult score.
As the budding pair of lovers, sailor Anthony (Austin Marshall) and Todd’s daughter Johanna (Solange Gosselin) are perfectly cast. Marshall’s voice soars with pitch-perfect power and a gorgeous tone, while Gosselin matches him with her beautiful operatic soprano. Her rendition of “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” was stunning, and Anthony’s ode to Johanna elicited perhaps the loudest ovation of the evening.
Philip Farugia is a vile and thoroughly convincing Judge Turpin. When the protagonist is himself a villain, playing the antagonist requires descending to even darker depths of depravity, and Farugia does so with chilling success. His grotesque, lingering tongue licks elicited a chorus of disgusted “ews” from the audience, bringing to mind Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi. It’s an unnerving character choice that makes Turpin all the more repulsive.
At his side, Michael J. Galante’s Beadle Bamford is equally seedy. His sycophantic devotion to the Judge, hunched posture and disheveled long hair make for a thoroughly off-putting characterization. Together, the two slink around the stage like a pair of diseased rats.
Emily Yancey brings considerable vocal power and impressive diction to the Beggar Woman, who often emerges as the only voice of reason amid the madness unfolding around her.
Tobias Ragg is such an endearing character: simple and innocent, swept into circumstances far beyond his control by the nefarious actions of those around him. “Not While I’m Around” is my favorite number in the show, and Ryan Butler does it justice as Toby, singing with tenderness and restrained power. He also brings animated enthusiasm to “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir” and “God, That’s Good!”
Speaking of Pirelli, the competitive, conniving barber is brought memorably to life by Bob Mazierski, who strikes an entertaining balance between comedy and cunning.
The ensemble is equally strong, its collective voices adding considerable weight to a production accompanied by a modest six-piece chamber orchestra. The musicians play admirably throughout, providing a rich musical foundation for the cast’s vocal performances despite the deliberately scaled-down forces.
The intricate interplay between Sondheim’s lyrics and the brisk, syncopated music makes Sweeney Todd a musical tightrope act. One misstep can send the whole thing tumbling. The more layered numbers, with multiple vocal lines unfolding simultaneously, largely stayed on track, though there were moments when a few cards in the musical house of cards slipped and stuck together. I expect this will improve as the cast grows more comfortable performing the score before a live audience. Overall, the company handled the material well, but unless you (like me) already knew every word by heart, some lyrics were frustratingly difficult to make out.
My sharpest criticism is reserved for the scenic design. While the black-and-white palette was consistently in keeping with the production’s aesthetic, the signage labeling everything was not only unnecessary but distracting. Rectangular signs bearing words such as “PIES,” “SHAVE,” “JUDGE,” “HOME”, “OVEN” and “ASYLUM,” all in a generic sans-serif font, were used to identify different areas of the stage. When the action shifted away from Fleet Street to the city, a sign simply announced “CITY.” Really? I wish the design had shown more faith in the audience’s imagination, allowing us to create our own visual language to complete the scenes. Worse, the signs were often oddly disconnected from the action: nobody got a shave anywhere near the sign that said “SHAVE,” and during a scene in the Judge’s house, “CITY” remained visible in the background. The signs themselves appeared shoddily painted, too. Ultimately, their removal would have been a considerable improvement, allowing the production’s other visual elements to speak for themselves. But key set elements like the barber chair and trap door worked very well.
The lighting, by contrast, was quite effective. The orange glow of the oven and the deep red intensity accompanying a murder were particularly striking. The monochromatic styling and makeup looked terrific when performers were bathed in bright white light, while the shadows, glowing candles and enveloping darkness all contributed to the production’s pervasive sense of foreboding.
All in all, this rendition is a smashing success. The dedicated, talented cast elevates the production well beyond its scenic shortcomings, delivering an evening of compelling theater. Steve Copps’ extraordinary performance is a career highlight that Buffalo theatergoers should not miss. Lively choreography by Walline and assured direction by Kramer round out a Sweeney Todd that deserves to be seen.
MusicalFare’s production is playing through November 8 and tickets are available on their site, MusicalFare as well as Sheas.org.
