Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (American Theatre Critics Association), and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

 Photos by Bryan Clifford

 

 

 

 

Deliciously Wicked

 

There’s a hole in the world like a great black pit
and the vermin of the world inhabit it
and its morals aren’t worth what a pig could spit
and it goes by the name of London.

                                 — A disillusioned Sweeney Todd, on his hometown

 

To kick off their 2024-2025 season, the Avon Players offer “Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, a gleefully macabre tale filled with bitter irony, the blackest of black humor, and simply fantastic music. Not just horror for horror’s sake, it has a massive sweep, addressing not just the desire for retribution on a personal level, but the inequities of society at large. Just the thing to get you in the mood for Halloween next month.

 

Opening on Broadway in 1979, the acclaimed musical, with book by Hugh Wheeler, and lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim, won eight Tony awards, including Best Musical. The diabolical barber-turned-serial killer, “who served a dark and a hungry god”, is based on a literary character, dating as far back as the 16^th century. Sweeney Todd may or may not have actually lived, but he lives on in legend.

The time and place: early 19^th century London. Todd has just returned home from 15 years of imprisoned exile in Australia, and he’s an angry man on a mission. He craves revenge on the evil judge who ruined his life and stole his wife and child. He will stop at nothing to avenge the wrongs done to him, and decides to go back to work as a barber – using his sterling silver straight edge. He has a little help from his friends, including a slightly daffy pie shop proprietress named Mrs Lovett. The two concoct a scheme that soon gives a boost to Mrs Lovett’s business and has the whole neighborhood smacking their lips. If only they knew…

 

The cast and crew at Avon Players are working with the best of the best material, and they do a worthy job of holding up their end. Sondheim’s trademark – pithy, complex lyrics that unfurl with lightning speed – challenge even professional actors and singers. And due to the cast using English/Cockney accents, it can sometimes be hard to understand what’s being said or sung onstage. It’s well worth looking up the lyrics beforehand (or afterward) so you can get the full benefit of the Sondheim effect.

But that’s not a problem with Mario Simone, who as Sweeney Todd possesses a wonderful baritone and excellent clarity. Here’s an example of perfect casting. He assumes the role with relish, commanding the stage with his sturdy physical presence whenever he’s there, which fortunately is most of the time. He’s a pleasure to watch and to hear.

 

Joy Oetjens delivers a strong performance as Todd’s partner in crime, Mrs Lovett. She brings more than a little comic relief and witty rejoinders, although her accent is hard to decipher at times. Other notable performances: Nicholas Kwiechski as Anthony Hope, a young man in love whose name says it all; his beloved Johanna, played with wistful winsomeness by Maia Fetter; Steve Grady, sufficiently dastardly as Judge Turpin; Jack Stoll as the dull-witted Tobias Ragg, Mrs Lovett’s shop boy; and the engaging Adam Wager as the slippery-but-doomed Adolfo Pirelli. A deranged beggar woman, played by Tracy Murray, drifts in and out of the story but ends up being the key to a mystery. The rest of the large ensemble cast does well with the choreography and Greek chorus musical numbers.

Stoll and Oetjens have a touching duet, “Not While I’m Around”. What’s perhaps the best number in the show, next to “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” sung by the company, is “A Little Priest”, a cynically tasty duet about what’s on the menu, sung by Simone and Oetjens.

 

Director John Deierlein’s tight pacing propels the story and keeps your attention glued to the stage. The impressive set design (Kevin Miller) allows action on two levels simultaneously, in silhouette or in spotlight. Stunning choreography (Maritoni Harte) and lighting and costumes (Deierlein) are picture perfect. The lighting and fog effects really create the seamy, mysterious atmosphere of 19^th century London. Although during a recent matinee, the follow-spot was a bit errant, wavering from side to side more than once, which was just a little distracting.

 

A capable 9-piece orchestra, directed by Tim Schoenherr, performs 24 numbers over the show’s 180-minute running time. The vast majority of the production consists of music, making it more like an opera than a traditional musical. From its foggy prologue to its finale, “Sweeney Todd” is at once thrilling, unsettling and profound. You can’t wait to see what happens next, and the three hours pass before you know it.

Now through September 21, 2024

Tickets $32.00

Avon Playhouse

1185 Washington Rd

Rochester Hills, MI 48306

(248) 608-9077

 www.avonplayers.org

 

 

Avon Players Theatre is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization