{"id":107842,"date":"2024-09-09T12:58:12","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T19:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=107842"},"modified":"2024-09-09T12:58:12","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T19:58:12","slug":"sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street-by-stephen-sondheim-at-avon-playhouse-rochester-mi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street-by-stephen-sondheim-at-avon-playhouse-rochester-mi\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim at Avon Playhouse, Rochester MI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (American Theatre Critics Association), and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Photos by Bryan Clifford<\/em><\/p>\n

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Mario Simone, Joy Oetjens<\/p><\/div>\n

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Deliciously Wicked<\/h1>\n

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There’s a hole in the world like a great black pit
\nand the vermin of the world inhabit it
\nand its morals aren’t worth what a pig could spit
\nand it goes by the name of London.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 — A disillusioned Sweeney Todd, on his hometown<\/em><\/p>\n

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To kick off their 2024-2025 season, the Avon Players offer \u201cSweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street\u201d, a gleefully macabre tale filled with bitter irony, the blackest of black humor, and simply fantastic music. Not just horror for horror\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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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, \u201cwho served a dark and a hungry god\u201d, is based on a literary character, dating as far back as the 16th<\/sup> century. Sweeney Todd may or may not have actually lived, but he lives on in legend.<\/p>\n

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Sweeney Todd Cast<\/p><\/div>\n

The time and place: early 19th<\/sup> century London. Todd has just returned home from 15 years of imprisoned exile in Australia, and he\u2019s 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 \u2013 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\u2019s business and has the whole neighborhood smacking their lips. If only they knew\u2026<\/p>\n

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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\u2019s trademark – pithy, complex lyrics that unfurl with lightning speed \u2013 challenge even professional actors and singers. And due to the cast using English\/Cockney accents, it can sometimes be hard to understand what\u2019s being said or sung onstage. It\u2019s well worth looking up the lyrics beforehand (or afterward) so you can get the full benefit of the Sondheim effect.<\/p>\n

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Nicholas Kwiechski & Maia Fetter<\/p><\/div>\n

But that\u2019s not a problem with Mario Simone<\/strong>, who as Sweeney Todd possesses a wonderful baritone and excellent clarity. Here\u2019s an example of perfect casting. He assumes the role with relish, commanding the stage with his sturdy physical presence whenever he\u2019s there, which fortunately is most of the time. He\u2019s a pleasure to watch and to hear.<\/p>\n

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Joy Oetjens<\/strong> delivers a strong performance as Todd\u2019s 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<\/strong> as Anthony Hope, a young man in love whose name says it all; his beloved Johanna, played with wistful winsomeness by Maia Fetter;<\/strong> Steve Grady<\/strong>, sufficiently dastardly as Judge Turpin; Jack Stoll<\/strong> as the dull-witted Tobias Ragg, Mrs Lovett\u2019s shop boy; and the engaging Adam Wager<\/strong> as the slippery-but-doomed Adolfo Pirelli. A deranged beggar woman, played by Tracy Murray<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

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Jack Stoll (center) & cast<\/p><\/div>\n

Stoll and Oetjens have a touching duet, \u201cNot While I\u2019m Around\u201d. What\u2019s perhaps the best number in the show, next to \u201cThe Ballad of Sweeney Todd\u201d sung by the company, is \u201cA Little Priest\u201d, a cynically tasty duet about what\u2019s on the menu, sung by Simone and Oetjens.<\/p>\n

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Director John Deierlein\u2019s<\/strong> tight pacing propels the story and keeps your attention glued to the stage. The impressive set design (Kevin Miller<\/strong>) allows action on two levels simultaneously, in silhouette or in spotlight. Stunning choreography (Maritoni Harte<\/strong>) and lighting and costumes (Deierlein<\/strong>) are picture perfect. The lighting and fog effects really create the seamy, mysterious atmosphere of 19th<\/sup> 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.<\/p>\n

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A capable 9-piece orchestra, directed by Tim Schoenherr, <\/strong>performs 24 numbers over the show\u2019s 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, \u201cSweeney Todd\u201d is at once thrilling, unsettling and profound. You can\u2019t wait to see what happens next, and the three hours pass before you know it.<\/p>\n

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Now through September 21, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tickets $32.00 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Avon Playhouse<\/strong><\/p>\n

1185 Washington Rd<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rochester Hills, MI 48306<\/strong><\/p>\n

(248) 608-9077 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0www.avonplayers.org<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Avon Players Theatre is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (American Theatre Critics Association), and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle) \u00a0Photos by Bryan Clifford         Deliciously…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":4.6,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-107842","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-greg-suzanne-angeo"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"