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| Heather Orth is Mrs. Lovett and Keith Pinto is Sweeney Todd. |
Hillbarn Theatre has successfully and enjoyably met
the challenges of Stephen Sondheim’s bloody good classic, “Sweeney Todd.”
Subtitled “The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Hugh
Wheeler’s book tells the tale of a wrongly convicted man who escapes from an
Australian penal colony and returns to London to find his wife. When he hears
how she was treated by a lascivious judge, who then adopted their daughter, he
vows revenge.
Sondheim’s soaring music and his often clever lyrics
aren’t easy to master, but Hillbarn has done so thanks to a topnotch cast of
singer-actors.
They’re led by Keith Pinto as the haunted Sweeney.
He’s aided by his comic foil, Heather Orth as Mrs. Lovett. She’s his former
landlady and the maker of “The Worst Pies in London.”
She gives him the razors he had left behind so that
he can ply his trade as a barber in the room above her pie shop.
Because the foppish, fraudulent Pirelli (Jesse
Cortez) has recognized him from his past and wants to blackmail him, Sweeney
slits his throat. Mrs. Lovett resourcefully decides what to do with the body
when she notes that it’s hard to get meat.
This leads to one of the funniest, cleverest songs
in the show, “A Little Priest,” sung by Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett as they
gleefully ponder the possibilities that various professions provide her pies.
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| Jaron Vesely is Anthony Hope and Jennifer Mitchell is Johanna. |
Two other major characters are Anthony Hope (Jaron
Vesely), the sailor who befriended Sweeney on the voyage to London; and Johanna
(Jennifer Mitchell), the now adult daughter of Sweeney and his wife.
They have some of the show’s more beautiful songs,
such as “Green Finch and Linnet Bird,” sung by Mitchell in a flawless
coloratura; and “Johanna,” sung by Anthony.
Completing the stellar cast of principals are Ross
Briscoe as the sweet, naïve Toby, who becomes Mrs. Lovett’s assistant; Juliet
Green as the crazed Beggar Woman; Samuel Nachison as the officious Beadle; and
Chris Vettel as the villainous Judge Turpin.
The ensemble is outstanding in both singing and
acting.
By the end of the show, not many characters have survived,
but the audience has been treated to a musical theater masterwork.
The show is skillfully directed by Joshua Marx. However,
because of Hillbarn’s relatively small stage, he relies too much on the aisles
for some scenes.
Musical director Rick Reynolds directs the fine
orchestra, but it sometimes overpowers the singers.
One aspect of the show that differs from most other
productions hereabouts is that it’s set in 1785. The Broadway production was
set in the mid-19th century.
According to artistic director Dan Demers, the original
story, which was a serialized penny dreadful in the mid-19th century,
was set in the late 18th century.
Hence the costumes by Yichuan Sharon Peng are
inspired by that time period. They’re especially elaborate for Pirelli and The
Beadle.
The relatively simple but workable set is by Ting Na
Wang with lighting by Pamila Z. Gray and sound by Brandie Larkin.
Although this is a first-rate production, Demers
wisely stresses in his program notes that it’s not recommended for youngsters
under 16.
Running just under three hours with one
intermission, “Sweeney Todd” will continue through Feb. 10 at Hillbarn Theatre,
1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City.
Photos by Mark and Tracy Photography
