The Broadway Theatre Review: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

By Ross

“How it shines in the light,” one might say, or sing out once again as those glorious performers take to the stage for my second-time viewing of the gloriously sounding, extremely entertaining, and supremely well-delivered revival of one of Stephen Sondheim’s all-time best musicals, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It remains in my mind one of his finest, and is most assuredly one of my favorite musicals of all, just below Sunday in the Park with George, and just above the recently revived to glorious perfection; Company and Into The Woods. And as played out big and strong on the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre stage, with that gloriously large and full orchestra sound under the command of music supervisor/conductor Alex LaCamoire (Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen) with original orchestrations by the illustrious Jonathan Tunick (Broadway’s The Music Man) and music coordination by David Lai (Broadway’s Hadestown), this show continues to be as gorgeous as one could hope for, and, much to my surprise, even better than the first round casting. Surprise, surprise, I might add, as it continues to be basically unstoppable and epically engaging. The crowd deafeningly roars its approval to an almost mind-blowing level after each song, making it almost impossible for this esteemed group of actors to move the performance forward. But who can complain about that, as I was happily one of those also roaring.

As directed with a wise witty slant by Thomas Kail (Broadway’s Hamilton), Sweeney happily remains, flinging itself deep into the dirt and grime of Fleet Street, London, finding dark humor and revenge in every corner of that wide dark stage. With a solidly astounding book by Hugh Wheeler (A Little Night Music) adapted beautifully by Christopher Bond (Dracula), this full-scale rendering underneath the hanging ominous crane, encapsulates dread and danger, while also laughing alongside the bloody mess. The dark energy of instability engages, enhanced by the off-kilter dynamic choreographer of Steven Hoggett (Broadway’s Harry Potter…) that occasionally gets in the way of itself by becoming distracting and unrequited at odd moments, like the parade of women in the background and the silhouetted tableau storytelling that dances forth when Mrs. Lovett, downstairs, is weaving her sad tale of Benjamin Barker’s wife and their daughter, Joanna. Once again, I didn’t know where to look, so I just ignored them, and focused my attention on the singer and their performance of the song.

Yet, at the pivotal moment, the staging shifts and slants the diabolical proposition so exceedingly beautifully and abstractly. Sitting up in the front mezz. this time around, I was really able to take in the full expanse, ushering and flinging forward the man we are all waiting breathlessly for; the incomparable Aaron Tveit (Broadway’s Moulin Rouge; Catch Me If You Can) as the murderous (and this time, extremely sexy) Sweeney Todd. Tveit completely captivates and astonishes, in a part that I wasn’t, once again, convinced he could pull off. We all knew, like Groban, that his tenor voice would deliver beautifully, and it does, but I had no idea that it would feel so suited for the part. His entry vocals defy the odds, sounding as gloriously delicious as one could ever hope for. But it is in his menacing glare that we find a Sweeney that we can both desire and be completely afraid of, like the psychopath Sweeney truly is.

His muscular slicing and dicing is as cold and cruel as can be, and he is magnificently matched most perfectly by the gloriously delirious presence of Sutton Foster (Broadway’s The Music Man; Anything Goes) who crafts a Mrs. Lovett who is as funny as she is desperate in love. It is inside that manic imbalance where her performance becomes completely invigorated to unquestionably exciting levels of comic intensity. Foster is one of those performers who always sounds delicious and glorious of voice, while also finding the joke and the idiosyncracies inside a role. But here, in her solidly hilarious performance, she has mixed and baked this woman to the perfect boiling point, so much so that we just want to bite into her and savor her performance forever.

The rest of the crew most beautifully demands to be seen and utterly valued. Joe Locke (“Heartstopper“; Donmar’s The Trials) shines strong, giving a tender meaningful performance as Tobias, once again surprising us all with his musical ability and tenderly crafted performance. Ruthie Ann Miles (Broadway’s The King and I) continues to put forth a Beggar Woman that is compellingly impossible to ignore. She folds in flavors of remembrance most wisely, unearthing glimpses of sadness and memory beneath the dirty facade of insanity. Jamie Jackson (Broadway’s Dr. Zhivago) as Judge Turpin, John Rapson (Barrow St’s Sweeney Todd…) as Beadle Bamford, and fight captain Michael Kuhn (City Opera’s Stonewall) as Pirelli, all find the diabolical intensity required, while singing gloriously throughout. Costumed perfectly by Emilio Sosa (Broadway’s Trouble in Mind) with a meandering sound design by Nevin Steinberg (Broadway’s Tina), the cast, including all in the ensemble, brings vocal expertise to the forefront, elevating the chorus to sharp and cutting heights throughout this well-mapped out production.

With the stage designed by Mimi Lien (RTC’s True West), the cast ascends into the darkness, expertly lit by Natasha Katz (Broadway’s Some Like it Hot), bringing that big thick sound forward and engulfing us in its menace. The second level playing field, which floats up and down as the story gets going, tends to distance itself a bit too much during some precious moments of engagement, particularly the scenes that focus on Johanna, played to nervous edgy perfection by Maria Bilbao (Bay Street’s Anna in the Tropics) and Anthony, played tenderly by Daniel Yearwood (Broadway’s Hamilton). We feel far removed from their intimacy, although not as much from the front mezzanine this time around (although as staged, I did miss a few bits, here and there, when they stepped a bit too far to one side). Bilbao’s delectable and impeccable Johanna and her twitchy bird-like nervousness continue to save the day, pulling us in, even as we struggle to stay attached behind the railing so far back in the recesses of the balcony.

But it’s Tveit, his love song to his precious barber blades, and Foster’s clingy and desperate needy desire for Sweeney’s kiss that sells the meat pies (and those tickets). Their expert renderings and their perfect alignment make a delicious meal out of this captivatingly entertaining revival of Sweeney Todd. Now, I will say that it doesn’t exactly erase my extreme love of the pared-down revival back in 2005 that starred Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone; those two still remain my all-time favorite diabolical duo. Their deep dive into madness is unparalleled, but inside this fully fleshed-out production, with that tasty-sounding big orchestra and these two magnificent leads, this is a Sweeney Todd that should be devoured, and definitely not missed. “More pies, please,” is all I can say as I couldn’t stop cheering this production on, just like that ever so-enthusiastic audience that was in the theatre the night I was so lucky to “attend the tale” of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. “It’s too good, at least.“