Sweeney Todd Review – Sondheim’s demon barber is still a cut above | Theater

Stephen Sondheim was fascinated by fiction – not just in the subject matter of In the Woods. The origin of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, is in Victorian melodrama, but in the hands of the composer, working with the novelist Hugh Wheeler in response to the play of Christopher Bond, it is firmly established in the public literature.

The story of a murderer who gives pain to the landlord’s pies is ripe with the dark humor that appealed to the Grimm brothers. There are shadows of Hansel and Gretel in the cavernous oven and of Little Red Riding Hood waiting to be turned into someone’s dinner. The author’s lyrics also refer to the nursery rhyme Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake, Baker’s Man.

Seeing the seriousness of it all, director Joe Murphy gives Sweeney Todd full surgical treatment. His masterpieces are as rich in detail as they are in complexity. The orchestra set the tone, singing directly to the audience, poised like ghostly statues, especially under Rory Beaton’s icy design.

Still like the figure of Lady Justice who presides over the concrete-gray of Elin Steele, the legal scales favor an independent path and away from the vengeful Todd, who was sent to Australia by a corrupt and cruel judge. This is London done in grimy monochrome, where the period clothes of mustard, lime and peach stand out against the poverty around them.

The depth of purpose, however, doesn’t make it overwhelming, even if Sondheim offers a few more songs. Yes, the excellent Ramin Karimloo does not smile in his role, but this only gives the barber a noble character who criticizes his actions. His gradual calm shows that all his efforts are helping to quell his murderous anger.

The antidote to such fury is Meow Meow as landlady Mrs. Lovett, a brilliant study in chance and chance. That he has an artistic background should not detract from his singing which, as is the case with all musicians, is superb.