The stormy weather that Saturday lent an appropriate pall of gloom over Playhouse on the Square and Opera Memphis’ collaborative performance of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but the rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the sold-out show, a blend of operatic style and Broadway camp. The combination was delectable.
The history of the demon barber of Fleet Street stretches back to Victorian England, with the character of Sweeney Todd first appearing in an 1846 penny dreadful titled The String of Pearls, as noted in the production’s program. The people of the Victorian age were insatiable in their appetite for the macabre, a fascination that has carried through to the modern age, if this musical’s lingering following is anything to judge by. The story was adapted to a stage play in 1970 with a musical version following soon after in 1979, with music written by the legendary Stephen Sondheim. I distinctly remember seeing Tim Burton’s film version on my birthday in 2007. This musical stands the test of time, for good reason. Its dark and horrific themes are tempered by black humor and the aforementioned camp. There is nothing too outrageous or gaudy for a production of Sweeney Todd. Bright red lights, gaunt makeup, and buckets of “blood” only serve to balance the gravity of the story.
Photo: @itsjusthalo
Sweeney Todd, a barber formerly known as Benjamin Barker, has been falsely accused and exiled from England by a corrupt judge. Serving his unjust sentence for 15 years, he manages to escape and returns to London under a new name to seek vengeance. This is a plot that has been explored before, and while it may bring to mind Les Miserables or The Count of Monte Cristo, the story soon diverges from familiar paths. Todd becomes obsessed, consumed by his need for revenge to a degree that wildly accelerates his downfall.
This particular production included a cast of both actors in the traditional sense and also those trained and seasoned in opera. Seeing this collaborative performance was an experience, and the inherent gravitas of the operatic vocal style served to enhance the elements of the show that could so easily cross a line from outrageous to ridiculous. The genius of Sondheim’s music is in this juxtaposition, something the cast and crew clearly understood. Sweeney Todd singing lovingly to his razors, calling them his “friends,” would be a step too far if Todd didn’t subsequently take his “relationship” with his knives even farther, giving more attention and credence to the instruments of his retribution than to the actual people around him. In this, Sweeney is blind, and as we ultimately find out, his complete failure to see what lies plainly in front of him becomes a central theme and driving force of the musical.
I was hesitant to judge Matthew Burns’ performance in the title role, but it became clear by the end of act one that as Todd the character embraced a path beyond all redemption, Burns’ performance changed from that of an utterly broken shell of a man to one energized and enthusiastic. That the character’s verve comes from his plan to commit multiple murders without discrimination makes the performance even more delightfully disturbing. Burns’ proverbial droop of Todd’s shoulders is perfectly set against the vivacious comedic delight that is Amy P. Nabors’ depiction of Mrs. Lovett, who defies the cultural denial of a woman’s agency to a degree that rivals any male character’s villainy.
The collective whole of this production is one that came together in such a way as to excuse any opening weekend mishaps. The red motifs in the characters’ costumes, the musical themes of dissonance, and the almost distressing wall of sound conjured up by competing vocalizations all carry the viewer to a cliff’s edge, or perhaps an oven door, and one can’t help but yearn to see what lies on the other side, if only to satisfy our own deeply human morbid fascination.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street runs at Playhouse on the Square through July 12th.
