No one can help. Nothing can hide you. Isn’t that Sweeney there beside you? Sweeney— Sweeney— there— there! There! THERE! And if you’re in the state of Maryland the demon barber of fleet street is literally everywhere right now. With no fewer than three theatres producing the bloody Sondheim classic, it’s no wonder that Small Town Stars Theatre Company wanted to throw their hat in the ring and invite you to attend their tale of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Directed by Miranda Secula-Rosell and Joel Roberson with Vocal Direction by Hayden Klinedinst and Choreography by Abigail Weinel, this bloody tale of revenge is just waiting to have you bleeders in the house!
Old world Londontown has fabricated itself onto the stage of the Carroll Arts Center for this production of Sondheim’s most gory story by way of Set Designer Jim Stoneberger and Scenic Artist Erica Hansbrough. The two story, multi-door-flapped set consists of play spaces suitable for both the pie shop, the barber shop, and the bake house below both establishments. Stoneberger’s structural work is supported superbly by Hansbrough’s artistry, particularly in Mrs. Lovette’s meat pie shop— the attention to detail in the pie cabinet is impressive and creates a sense of Victorian life. The fancy chair is quite impressive, complete with slide-drop effects, and the overall block-nature of the set itself, complete with stairs and swinging panels to reveal other components of the scenery, gives the stage a vivacity that is often overlooked when it comes to this particular show. While at times the scale of props-to-set might be a little off (try not to look too closely at the meat grinder and think on how long it would take to grind up a small rat let alone anything larger) the scenes are swiftly executed from one to the next thanks to the way Stoneberger has crafted the set.
Lighting, designed by Abigail Weinel and operated by Tim Beavers, is subtle and well-handled. There’s a bit of overkill during the ‘upstairs moments’ whenever Sweeney takes a new patron to his barber chair, however, with that whole space being flooded in a dense red-light bath. The intended effect is obvious and it lands, but it also detracts from the special effects being used by Sweeney and his patrons. Because the lighting in these moments is so intense and all-consuming, you don’t get to see the nifty ‘up-the-sleeve’ trick of Sweeney, his razor, and his ‘patrons’ as they come in for a shave. This aside, the lighting is appropriately focused for the various scenes that populate this production.
Sweeney Todd is arguably one of the more complex scores conceived by Stephen Sondheim and Small Town Stars Theatre Company gets props for what they’ve achieved with their production. The costumes (assembled by a crew spearheaded by co-director Miranda Secula-Rosell, and including Rory Long, Mya Darby, and Melanie Shipp) look appropriately Victorian, appear to fit the cast well, and give each of the characters a little individuality. Pirelli’s fantastical cape and suit are worthy of much praise as are the black mourning dress and grey-fitted posh-dress featured on Beadle Bamford, being played at this performance by a female actor. Transforming the role into Madam Beadle is believable enough as Katie Ketter, the talented performer taking up the mantle, has all of the attitude and coarseness about her to keep the Beadle’s intentions as written, though it’s a trick on the ear to hear those songs sung in such a high-soprano rang. While Ketter has an extraordinarily gifted soprano range, some of her moments in song just sound peculiar being sung in such an octave. That said, if you can overlook the oddness of singing above where the song is written (and this may only pose a challenge for anyone having seen or heard the songs before) Ketter does an impressive job creating an unctuous character utilizing femininity to guide the trajectory of Beadle’s path.
The ensemble creates solid sounds, if not always 100% blended when it comes to these insane Sondheim harmonies, but it sounds wholly musical if not entirely nuanced. Featuring Jules Barrett, Dimonté Brice, Mya Darby, Archer Kettler, Rory Long, Madison DiNello, Alex Gibbs, Delaney Goodwin, Jess Harzar, Mark McAlevey, Devon Moravec, Sean Olsson, Aidan Russell, Daniel Russell, Logan Saurborn, Melanie Shipp, Darryl Warren, Cara Wolf, and Martin Zaepfel, the ensemble brings their grungiest attitudes to the forefront of their singing, particularly during all of the recurring segments of “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd”, and it matches the gritty scenic design work stupendously. There is a moment of frozen rapture at the top of the second act during “God, That’s Good!” where the ensemble starts in freeze-frame whilst Tobias Ragg cries out to the audience to let them know the world of the show is resuming; it’s a very striking visual effect.
Playing the little street urchin-come-assistant, Jacinta McKinnon as Toby is a lively choice. Navigating the challenging waters of singing with octaves and ranges in which the songs were not written, McKinnon holds her own with the very challenging score that faces the Tobias character. Full of gusto and gumption you get the notion that McKinnon’s character is eager to please. Delivering a sturdy sound during “Nothing’s Going to Harm You” is really what wins the audience over to the Toby character, and McKinnon does that just fine. Watching the flip-flop of chaos during “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir” as McKinnon dodges all around the crowd is also quite entertaining.
Scene-stealing, show-stopping fiend Adolfo Pirelli (Andrew Wisowaty) may only have one number but it is a most unforgettable one. Wisowaty is a blazing fire of flamboyance, shrieking and cloak-twirling as he twists his way onto the stage making his presence seen, heard, felt, and known. And the falsetto-soprano he achieves during “The Contest” (parts one & two are used in this production! What a treat!) is stellar. The outrageous, over-the-top Italian accent is second only to the flawless flip into Irish when Wisowaty pays Sweeney Todd a second visit. Wisowaty may only have the one song and two-split scenes, but he is most memorable both times he’s featured on stage and truly one of the sparkling highlights in this production.
You get textbook winsome, wholesome ingenues from both Johanna (Jordan Wheeler) and Anthony (Jude Sims.) The pair gush at one another with the oozing ease of ‘love at first sight’ and both allow their voices to drift along in their various duets, particularly “Kiss Me” where both articulate the rapid-fire series of chaos Sondheim has penned into the lyrics like seasoned pros. Wheeler and Sims have a solid chemistry that reads clean and clear from their meet-cute through the conclusion of their part of the story. Sims’ Anthony also has a few street run-ins with The Beggar Woman (Jessica Harris Keays), who makes the switch from her slow, desperate cry of alms into the raunchy singsong preposition quicker than you can blink. Keays has a strong, well-supported voice that serves the character of the Beggar Woman well in this production.
Looking oddly younger than you might expect Judge Turpin to look, Payl Keays delivers on the heightened sense of villainy with this character, particularly during the “Mea Culpa/Johanna” number, which is so often excluded from live stage productions. There is disturbing raw intention behind his interpretation of this song and it really makes the Judge Turpin character appear creepier than it seems naturally possible. Keays exudes repentant fury steeped in sexual desire and it is truly shudder-worthy, which makes watching him drift, seemingly consequence-less, through the show that much more infuriating. Keays does a fine job of channeling his fury into some unseen place when it comes time to make merry during “Pretty Women”, a duet that he carries divinely with Sweeney Todd.
There is something oddly Shatner-esque about Nathan Russell’s approach to Sweeny Todd, the demon barber of fleet street. There are definitely moments when he’s alive with rage, fury, and vengeance, though these moments never seem to quite align with where you might expect them to be in the libretto. There are great…pauses…in Russell’s delivery and its somewhat unclear if this is an intentional choice, to perhaps show that the character is distracted and always in two minds, his past and what he’s lost and the present, all-consumed by thoughts of revenge, or if it’s Russell having a case of nerves and “white room.” Either way, it creates a curious dynamic on stage, particularly when he’s interacting with the other characters. Russell’s voice does well enough, particularly during “My Friends” and his more charged number, “Epiphany” (though again that’s not a moment where you really see him come to life, which is such an odd choice compared to some of the moments where he is lively sprung.) What’s hilarious about Russell’s rendition of the titular character is the way he interacts with Lovette, particularly during the build-up to and through the whole of “By the Sea.” The deadpan apathy feels like a direct channeling of Johnny Depp’s movie rendition and it’s highly humorous. Some hiccups in the pacing aside, Russell carries his own against the difficult role and insane score that Sondheim has set down.
Imagine for a moment if Mary Poppins got into Grandma Addams’ bottle of Acremonium and chased it down with a spoonful of sugar. That would be the experience you’re getting with Kelly Stoneberger’s Mrs. Lovette. It’s “Dark Disney on Crack” and I’m here for it. It’s only slightly jarring as the rest of the company appears to be approaching this performance of Sweeney Todd in a more traditional fashion, but it certainly sets Stoneberger apart. Singing in the higher registers for some of her songs, Stoneberger sets herself apart from the iconic Angela Lansbury rendition of the character. She’s vibrantly animated and burbling with a giddy madness that is curiously enjoyable. Even when she physically slows down to a tempo more akin to largo with numbers like “Poor Thing” and her half of “My Friends”, you get the sense that she’s only just containing that spontaneous combustibility of frenetic energy that is perpetually bouncing around inside of her. Her rendition of “By the Sea” is a high-farce, especially when she mince-slides across the floor on her knees.
It’s a solid production, particularly the impressive set and unique approaches to some of the characters— like Beadle and Lovette— which warrants being seen. So do as the unending verses say, and ‘…attend the tale of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street…’
Running Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes with one intermission
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street plays four performances October 20th through October 22nd 2023 with Small Town Stars Theatre Company at The Carroll Arts Center— 91 W. Main Street in Westminster, MD. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 410-848-7272 or in advance online.
