The recent release of a list of the 100 greatest
musicals of all times has brought about much controversy in the theatre
community. Though there has been
conflict created by the plays on the list, there was no controversy over who
was the best composer. Stephen
Sondheim was the only writer/lyricist/composer who had five selections in the
top sixteen. GYPSY placed number
one, SWEENEY TODD 3rd, WEST SIDE STORY 8th, COMPANY 15th and SUNDAY
IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE was 16th.
Stephen Sondheim, whose SWEENEY TODD is now on stage
at the Great Lakes Theater, has been dubbed by many experts as “possibly the
greatest lyricist ever.”
As a youth, Sondheim became friends with James
Hammerstein, the son of Oscar Hammerstein, the co-author of such Broadway
wonders as OKLAHOMA, CAROUSEL and THE KING AND I. This surrogate father had a profound influence on
Sondheim. He also was exposed to
Robert Barrow, a teacher and musicologist, who made him realize that “all my
romantic views of art were nonsense.”
Sondheim’s musicals often reflect that disdain for the traditional
emotional view of love by having love go wrong.
Sondheim’s scores are complex. They often rely on counterpoint and
angular harmonies, overlapping singing, and strong muscular musicality that
make his works more akin to opera than traditional Broadway. Sondheim’s music doesn’t mirror the beautiful
and hummable melodic sounds of Rogers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe (MY
FAIR LADY) or Steven Schwartz (PIPPIN).
The winner of an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards
(more than any other composer), eight Grammy Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize,
Sondheim has been described as, “the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in
the American musical theatre.”
Does this make him a universal favorite? No. Far from it. Broadway productions of his works
sometimes lose money. The average
theatre-goer often complains that due to the complexity of the music, and
the difficulty of singing his songs, the words often get lost, and that his
stories are often too abstract.
Sondheim, himself, has described SWEENEY TODD as “a black operetta in
which only about 20% of the show is spoken.”
Other complaints are that his work is too dark. SWEENEY TODD, for example, explores the
psyche of a mad murderer, a social outcast, and is filled with killings, rape,
judicial corruption and visual mayhem.
The tale of the demon barber of Fleet Street takes
place in London in 1846. Anthony
Hope, a young sailor, arrives on a ship accompanied by Sweeny Todd, who he rescued during a storm at
sea. The aloof, embittered, uneasy
Todd has a secret of a past life that will soon unfold. The duo is confronted by a mad Beggar
Woman who seems to recognize Todd who is returning to England after fifteen
years of unjust incarceration in an Australian penal colony. Todd has revenge in mind, for not only
the unfair banishment, but for having lost his wife due to the machinations of
a corrupt judge. What follows is a
series of bizarre events in which Todd returns to his former barber shop to be
told by a pie-shop keeper that he has a daughter who is now the ward of the
judge and that his wife is dead.
Through a series of plot twists, some funny, others appalling, revenge
is extracted and some semblance of justice is reached.
SWEENEY TODD opened on Broadway in 1979. It is based on a 1973 play by
Christopher Bond. An instant hit
and Tony Award winner, it has been revised several times on Broadway, had a
long run in the West End in London, and was made into a film.
Great Lakes Theater’s production, under the focused
direction of Victoria Bussert, is mesmerizing. The staging is creative, the characterizations clearly
etched, the intensity builds to a heart-thumping conclusion.
Jeff Herrman’s scenic designs and Mary Jo Doninger’s
lighting create the right dark and ominous feel. Charlotte Yetman’s costumes are era correct.
The cast is universally excellent. Though he seems to overly scowl, Tom
Ford makes for an uneasy, hell-bent-on-revenge Sweeney Todd. He has a strong singing voice that has
the right menacing sound. This is
a tormented man, who exudes his angst.
His well nuanced The Barber and
His Wife clearly develops the exposition for the tale.
Sara Bruner is hilarious as Mrs. Lovett, the pie
shop owner who has her romantic hooks set for Todd. Her intent is absolutely consistent, she knows how to play
for laughs, and that more than compensates for the fact that she is sometimes a
little hard to understand. Her
musical versions of The Worst Pies in
London and By The Seas delight.
Young Chris Cowan is pitch and performance perfect
as Tobias, the shop clerk
of limited intelligence. His Pirelli’s Miracle
Elixir is delightful, and his rendition of Not While I’m Around is an emotional show stopper.
Zach Adkins creates Anthony into an appealing suitor
for Todd’s daughter, Johanna. His
rendition of Johanna is
poignant. Clare Howes Eisentrout
sings the role of Johanna well.
Darren Matthias is properly evil as Judge Turpin and
M. A. Taylor builds a clear character as The Beadle.
Jodi Dominick makes for a believable Beggar Woman,
Todd’s wife, who has been shocked into insanity.
Unfortunately, musical director Matthew Webb doesn’t
keep the orchestra under control and often their sounds drown out the
singers. Since the lyrics are so
important to the understanding of the plot, and some of the songs, such as A Little Priest are so clever, it’s a
shame that they can’t easily be heard.
Some listeners may also have a little trouble cutting through the
necessary Brit accents. In spite
of these hiccups, the story line is easy to follow.
Capsule judgement: Great Lakes Theater’s SWEENEY TODD is a
spell binding production of a Stephen Sondheim masterpiece. Those turned off by violence, or who
aren’t Sondheim aficionados, may not appreciate the show, but anyone interested
in hearing complex music, well sung, encased in a well-honed script that is
finely performed, will be turned on by this must see production.
