As one of the most renowned playwrights of the 20th century, Stephen Sondheim has made a lot of memorable theater. However, no show has garnered the attention as the macabre Tony-winning hit Sweeney Todd. It only makes sense that places like Chance Theater would want to take a stab at the work to see what they could bring to the demon barber of fleet street. There is one caveat however. While Sweeney Todd may be considered a full-scale production with towering sets, there’s not a lot of room to get a lot done. With a small cast, they manage to create a unique night of theater that elevates the material into a surreal, intimate experience that never loses the heart of its material.
The major caveat regarding Chance Theater’s locale is that it doesn’t have the most room to work with. While the main stage has a lot of scene changes, the surrounding area becomes the playful middle ground. There are constant scenes where actors are pulling props from underneath the stage, creating places like Mrs. Lovett’s (Jocelyn A. Brown) pie shop out of wooden boards. To their credit, very little of the pace is sacrificed as everyone transitions from one dizzying scene to the next. Even the far back of the stage comes to feature additional imagery in the final act when the story descends fully into madness.
But before it can get to the heart-racing finale, it must get through the rest of the story. Upon arriving in London, barber Sweeney (Winston Peacock) meets up with Mrs. Lovett and begins to fall back into bad habits. With a tragic back story, he picks up his shaving razor and begin a perverse turn for barbarism that substitutes as a factory for producing meat for the pies. Through the dark comedy, the cast shows Sweeney standing on the stage slicing throats as Mrs. Lovett attends to customers. With everyone donned in semi-goth wardrobe, the show embraces its dark heart without making the audience uncomfortable.
This is a drama about human’s darkest desires and greatest desperations. It’s placed alongside some of Sondheim’s zippiest songwriting and orchestrations, managing to make the everything feel like mustache twirling glee. The cast knows how to find the balance between the disturbing and the sincerity. Even in abstract symbolism, the horror shines through as the cast delves into some complicated subjects, even balancing misleading tones with thought-provoking dances across the stage. Whatever it lacks in grandeur it more than makes up for with a cast that delivers the heart of its story. Through the minimalism, they find the bigger world opening up.
There are even points where they turn to the audience and encourage interaction. This is especially true of the front row during numbers like “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir” where Tobias (Adam Leiva) hocks his questionable wares on people. There are other points where actors run up the stairs and create a more immersive experience for the people watching. While this can be chalked up to limited space, it also helps to create the novelty of a story that isn’t detached from their world. It’s through the small alterations that they find ways to enhance the story.
To the cast’s credit, they also provide good renditions of the big numbers. It’s here that the audience truly understands how fun but also difficult the show ultimately is. The quieter moments have the most complicated vocals like finding Johanna (Naya Ramsey-Clarke) singing in a fluttering falsetto that is so high that it risks irritation. Instead it produces the desired poetic chills that Sondheim was going for. There is a sense of soul escaping every note, looking for any way to escape her cage. Her posture as a metaphorical bird in a cage allows for things as simple as holding onto an elevated platform to make her feel more locked away from others on the stage. She feels removed even from her duet partner standing on the opposite end of the stage.
If there’s any criticism with doing a smaller production of Sweeney Todd, it’s that the limitations can lead to confusion. Credit to the costume changes and set switches, but some of the actors are required to play multiple roles in order to compensate. This isn’t a bad idea in principle, but those not fully familiar with the text may fall victim to confusion as to why so or so is in a scene that doesn’t call for their primary character. Some primaries are often placed in roles of background support, and it’s here where the fun sort of returns as it’s clear the audience is seeing a cast with versatility. They’re capable of doing so much even if it sometimes causes a roadblock or two.
At the end of the day, Sweeney Todd is a fun show and tests the muster of any group that puts in on. To Chance Theater’s credit, it’s a fantastic production that may never feel like totally complete, but makes for a satisfying local version that captures its essence beautifully. The cast does a great job of conveying the themes and even better keeping the music pulsating through every minute. It’s a tragicomic story that continues to endure and present a fascinating if morbid view of humanity. The results are uncomfortable, but you’ll be hard-pressed to not want to lean forward and learn a little bit more about what’s going on. Thankfully, Chance Theater knows how to work around its limitations and creates a solid afternoon of theater. If nothing else, it’ll leave you asking for more hot pies. Just don’t ask how they got them.
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