This afternoon, I returned to a different theatre at the Music Center complex — the Ahmanson — to see the Center Theatre Group’s production of the deconstructed “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”. The phrase “deconstructed” refers to the simplification that director John Doyle applied to the show: the cast was pared down to its main characters, the orchestra was eliminated in deference to the cast taking up the instruments themselves, the stage was shunk, the sets were abstracted, and the costumes were minimal. This change placed the focus on the music and the acting, and not other distractions. It was a unique way of presenting the story.
For those unfamiliar with the plot of Sweeney Todd, well, just go see the movie. Or, as Sweeney puts it himself:
| Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd. His skin was pale and his eye was odd. He shaved the faces of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard of again. He trod a path that few have trod did Sweeney Todd the demon barber of Fleet Street. He kept a shop in London town. |
His needs were few, his room was bare. A lavabo and a fancy chair. A mug of suds, and a leather strop, an apron, a towel, a pail, and a mop. For neatness he deserves a nod, does Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street. Inconspicuous Sweeney was, Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd! |
The new performance approach was interesting. I’ll get to the individual cast members in a bit, but focusing on the approach itself… I found it more focused and more acted. The lack of costumes and props led the actors to focus on their craft, and it came across clearly in their performances. The instruments became props themselves at times. The music was simplified, and there were points where lyrics were clearly cut or lyrics changed. At times I liked the new orchestrations, but I did miss the additional brass of the original orchestrations. It was clearly a different beast, similar to the way the revised version of Chicago in its Encores version was a distinctly different from the original: both were good and had strengths and weaknesses of their own.
Leading the cast was David Hess as Sweeney Todd. He played trumpet, orchestra bells, and percussion. As opposed to the white-faced George Hearn or the younger mad Johnny Depp, David Hess appeared much more as a middle-aged normal man, driven to madness. His Sweeney wasn’t malevolent — he was obsessed and focused, and just couldn’t rest until he had righted his wrong. His performance was riveting. His accomplace in crime was Judy Kaye as Mrs. Nellie Lovett, playing tuba, orchestra bells, and percussion. Ms. Kaye’s performance was marvelous, surpassing even Angela Lansbury’s performance. Her embodiment was not a comic characture; she also sang clearly and one could make out all words and nuances of Sondheim’s wonderful lyrics. But she did bring humor to the role through her movements and her phrasing — it just wasn’t over the top, exaggerated humor.
The first and last character you see in the show is Tobias, played by Edmund Bagnell, playing violin and clarinet. The initial (and terminal) image of Tobias is in a straightjacket, but he ends up being the assistant to both Pirelli and Mrs. Lovett. Tobias remained in his pajamas/institutional jumpsuit the entire performance, and exhibited a form of comic madness as he observed and reacted to the proceeedings. Unlike the traditional performance, he didn’t remain in the background. He was one of the most expressive actors I have seen on stage.
Johanna, Sweeney’s daughter, was played by Lauren Molina, playing cello. Yet another remarkable actress in facial expression and use of her instrument (cello). She was just delightful, reacting to the horror and events around her. I just fell in love with her face. Anthony, the young lad who rescued Sweeney and fell in love with Johanna was played by Benjamin Magnuson, playing cello and keyboard. He was more bland in his performance.
The Beggar Woman, played by Diana DiMarzio, playing clarinet and keyboard. In this production, her role was magnified and reactive, and was a significant contribution to the proceedings. Most of the performance she was in beggar woman rags, although in the final scenes when her true identity was revealed, you could see how she was the beautiful woman who was behind the entire plot.
The remaining roles were much smaller, although the actors were on stage all the time playing music. Judge Turpin was played by Keith Buterbaugh, playing trumpet, orchestra bells, and percussion. His was a much more handsome judge than the original. The Beadle, played by Benjamin Eakeley on clarinet, keyboard, and saxophone, was a much thinner beadle. Pirelli, casting against type, was played by Katrina Yaukey on accordion, keyboard, and flute, was strong in her one song (which had the tooth pulling cut). Lastly, Jonas Fogg was played by Steve McIntyre, playing bass.
As one can see, this was a drastically cut-down cast. There was no chorus, no crowds of London. The focus and attention was on the principles. I should also note that (for the most part), the musicmanship (if that’s a word) was impressive. The single keyboard would shift off between actors in mid-song with nary a beat lost. Instruments would be handed around like props so that the music could be continuous and part of the characters. It was amazing.
The staging and design was remarkable. No fancy set, just a coffin and some chairs. The murders were indicated by red lights, the pouring of a red liquid from one bucket to another, and a steam whistle. The coffin was turned around, stood on end, and served as numerous locals. It was all abstract, focusing the attention on the words and music. This design was developed by John Doyle, with lighting design by Richard G. Jones, and sound by Dan Moses Schreier.
Costumes were simple. Men were mostly in suits (except Tobias), and women in dresses of various forms. When one died, one acquired a red-stained lab coat. Wigs and hair by Paul Huntly, with makeup by Angelina Avallone.
So, overall, did I prefer this production to the original stage production or the movie? Hard to say. Each had their strengths and weaknesses, and were truly different beast, each highlighting a different aspect of the Sondheim score and the Hugh Wheeler book. The original was the more complete telling, but often the acting got lost in the stagecraft. The movie was musically the weakest, but brought the madness and the gore center stage, and made it upclose and personal as only a movie can. The deconstructed version focused on the essence of the musical: the Sondheim music and lyrics, and brought out the comic and the discordant in unique ways. All different. All good.
All actors were members of Actors Equity (
Sweeney Todd continues at the Ahmanson until April 6, 2008.
So what’s next on our theatre calendar? Next weekend (3/22) is “W;t” at REP East. On Sat 4/5 @ 8pm we have the premier of the new musical “Mask” at the Pasadena Playhouse. The following day we’re going to the Sunday matinee performance of “The Who’s Tommy” at Cal State Northridge. I still need to figure out productions for late April and early May — possibilities include “Pippin” at East West Players (5/8-6/8) and “The Immigrant” at Colony Theatre (4/2-5/4). On 5/31, we’re scheduled to see “A Chorus Line” @ 2pm at the Ahmanson, and “Of Mice and Men” @ 8pm at the Pasadena Playhouse. We’re likely to change those due to the performance of “Grease” at Nobel MS on 5/29, 5/30, and 5/31. That takes us to the end of 2Q08.
*: The other productions that season were Little Johnny Jones and The Pirates of Penzance at the Dorothy Chandler, and Barnum at the Pantages. I saw all but the first.
