Review: SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET at Short North Stage's Garden Theatre

For those out there who can’t decide what to binge watch on Netflix, the Short North Stage production of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET is a great compromise.

It’s equal parts musical spectacle like K-POP DEMON HUNTERS, bloody crime drama like LIZZIE BORDEN, and the darkest episode of THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF you’ll ever see. Stephen Sondheim’s unsettling musical has its final five performances Oct. 16–20 at the Garden Theatre (1187 N. High St. in downtown Columbus).

Sondheim, who made musicals from bleak fairy tales (INTO THE WOODS) and the stories of those who tried to kill the President (ASSASSINS), takes audiences to the next level in SWEENEY. After spending over a decade in an Australian prison, Sweeney Todd (played masterfully by Torrey Linder) returns to the grimy streets of London in search of a way to restart his barber shop business, find his estranged wife and daughter, and, of course, grind those who have wronged him into meat pies.

Director Edward Carignan sees SWEENEY as a parable where nearly every character represents one of the Seven Deadly Sins: wrath, lust, greed, pride, sloth, envy, and gluttony. Much like DANTE’S INFERNO, the road to vengeance often leaves its travelers in the deepest circle of Hell. Short North Stage’s production of SWEENEY TODD is a three-course meal of brilliant performances, lavish staging, and pitch-perfect musical direction.

The centerpiece of this buffet table is the murderous duo of Linder (Sweeney Todd) and Nyla Watson (Mrs. Lovett). Lovett takes Todd in, rents him a second-story flat for his business, and then helps him get rid of the bodies. An unexpected benefit of the collaboration is Lovett’s meat pies suddenly become the most popular dish in London.

Linder’s mastery is not just in sweeping gestures and singing, but in the small strokes of a much larger picture. The shaving showdown between Todd and fellow barber Adolfo Pirelli (Ricky La Luz-Rivera) is a small part of the first act but breathtaking to watch. As the two square off to determine who is the best barber in London, Pirelli frantically tries to maintain his precise trimming of his customer’s beard while keeping a watchful eye on Todd. Linder punctuates the silence with just the swish of sharpening his razor and a rueful smile before executing the perfect shave.

Watson’s Lovett is the perfect counterbalance to the stoic, vengeful Todd. To use the true crime vocabulary, the two seem like a normal couple … if it weren’t for the bloodstains on the walls and floors. Even though Lovett is an accomplice to the crimes, Watson portrays her so lightly and comedically that one can’t help liking her. When the two broach the s

ubject of using an alternative source of meat, Watson meets Linder’s gaze with a conspirator’s smile that makes one laugh and cringe at the same time. She makes vacation plans as he nods along absentmindedly.

While those two are the center focus, there are plenty of star performances. Robbie Beirne, who plays Anthony Hope, and Madeleine McNamara as Johanna are strong as the show’s star-crossed lovers. McNamara captures both the desperation and quirks of a woman kept away from the world by her lecherous stepfather Judge Turpin (Adam Williams). Yet she conveys her hope for a better life in the song “Green Finch and Linnet Bird.” 

The same could be said of Trevor Michael Schmidt (Tobias Ragg). Ragg fails to see how his life has gone from bad (serving as a stooge for the conman Pirelli) to worse (being an unwitting accomplice in Todd and Lovett’s meat factory). Williams, the judge who falsely accused Todd so he could take his wife and child, and John C. Baker (who plays Beadle Bamford) seem to relish playing the villains.

A virtuoso stroke in the production is the choreography of the people of Fleet Street’s reaction to the pies. After being disgusted with Lovett’s (non-human) offerings, the crowd impatiently waits for the meat pies and is eventually reduced to rolling on the ground like dogs for the tasty treats.

One has to admire SNS’ commitment to design and details. The show opener of Hope and Todd rowing through fog into London looks like something out of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Todd’s barber’s chair sinks onto a meat cutting room floor after each victim with a flick of the barber’s pole. Behind the two-story stage, there are other slight touches that add to the show. Perfect touches of makeup give most of the ensemble this dead-eyed, haunted look of citizens who have seen too much. Even the costumes become a part of the story as Todd and Lovett go from patchwork clothing to lavish outfits as the meat pie takes off.

Thanks to a contribution from Bill Mitchell in memory of his late husband, Wayne Lawson, Short North Stage has been able to present the show with a nine-piece orchestra. That takes the show to another level. Keyboardist Patrick Schaefer directs the musicians through Sondheim’s complicated, maddening score with multiple characters singing simultaneously.

However, sound provided the lone downbeat of the show. The squeaking wheels of set pieces being moved on and off the stage were distracting; sitting too close to the speakers made it difficult to hear some of the classic lines in “A Little Priest,” including “Mrs. Lovett, what a charming notion/Eminently practical.”

The lyrics may not be for the faint of heart, but they weren’t nearly as disturbing as the person in front of me watching a TikTok video on how to make a pound of ground beef look like a human head during intermission.

SWEENEY TODD might be an acquired taste, but once you’ve tasted it, it’s always good for a second helping. Make sure you get your chance.

Photo Credit: Kyle Long Photography

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