Imagine the shock, when Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, premiered on Broadway in 1979. Certainly audiences weren’t expecting a frolic (though “A Little Priest” could pass for one) but what they got surpassed the gruesome, off the charts rage, the demented premise of serial murder and unwitting cannibalism. Sondheim (Music and Lyrics) and Hugh Wheeler (Book) crafted a fable of sorts, seducing and convincing us that a sociopath (undeniably wronged by Judge Turpin and the caste system) is justified in his ghastly revenge. When his original plan to murder the Judge goes sideways, he decides that any murders will do. We are all guilty by way of our blackened souls. No sooner than we are persuaded that our “hero” has fulfilled some cosmic, karmic retribution, everything collapses. We have succumbed to temptation, only to find we were wrong all along. We have been hoodwinked, and it’s delicious.
Roughly, Sweeney Todd returns from a long voyage, parting ways with Anthony Hope, a sweet-natured lad who saved his life. Sweeney is soured and embittered, chiefly because his wife was kidnapped and sexually attacked by Judge Turpin, who used his leverage to subsequently imprison and exile Sweeney. He befriends Mrs. Lovett, who bakes the “worst meat pies in London”, and quickly takes a shine to Sweeney. Using an alias, he establishes himself as a superior barber, using his access to privacy and his “magic” straight edged razor (“…my arm is complete!”) to murder his clientele. Todd and Lovett gleefully surmise that baking his victims into pies, corresponds with mankind’s figurative (if not literal) cannibalism. Their venture is a sprawling success. Suddenly, no one can get enough of Mrs. Lovett’s pies.
Lip Service’s production of Sweeney Todd (that ran November 15th -18th, 2018) was ingenious. Considering the requirements of the script, they made strategic use of the space, making room for the orchestra, tonsorial emporium, oven and nefarious chair. The ensemble was ghoulish and intense
(…swing your razor high, Sweeney”). Jenny Tucker’s world-weary, smitten Mrs. Lovett, provided a formidable foil to Jason Leyva’s damaged, toxic Sweeney, injecting much needed comic respite. Sweeney Todd is a demanding musical, from Sondheim’s unorthodox score to Wheeler’s smooth blend of indignation with the diabolical. Director Shawn Gann orchestrated a cast, musicians and crew that were jazzed, focused, versatile and stoked like a locomotive.
Lip Service presented Sweeney Todd. The Firehouse Theatre. 2535 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch, Texas 75234. (972) 620-3747. www.thefirehousetheatre.com