“Sweeney Todd” An Admirable Production of a Difficult Show
By Skip Sheffield
“Sweeney Todd” is a show to be admired, if not embraced with
love. The challenging Stephen Sondheim musical in its entirety is on the boards
just through Sunday, April 21 at West Boca High School Performing Arts Theatre.
It is hard to love a character who vengefully slits the
throats of people who have done him wrong- and sometimes does the same to
complete strangers.
Director-choreographer Patrick Fitzwater has chosen to present
an unabridged version of Sondheim’s 1979 musical. While this is admirable, it
means this production of “Sweeney” is longer than most of us have seen.
Fitzwater even warned us it is two hours, 35 minutes, with one 15-minute
intermission.
Starring as the “Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is Slow Burn
Theatre’s co-founder Matthew Korinko.
Korinko has a strong, pleasant baritone voice befitting his
character, and he even went to the effort of growing real muttonchop sideburns
to look like a 19th century London swashbuckler.
Korinko also accentuates the underlying heartbreak of his
character, who has just emerged from prison and assumed a new name. Sweeney is
no random crazy guy. He mourns the death of his wife and the absence of his
beloved daughter Joanna (Kaela Antolino) whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years.
By stroke of fate Sweeney meets Mrs. Lovett (Karen Chandler)
maker of “The Worst Pies in London ,”
one of the score’s funniest songs.
Mrs. Lovett is a widow who has designs upon handsome Sweeney.
She allows him to set up his new barbershop in a spare room. To drum up
business, Sweeney challenges the vain, foppish Pirelli (Rick Pena) to a duel of
skills. In that time barbers not only shaved and cut hair, but pulled teeth.
The talented Pena is also the company’s costume designer. He
has made some minor miracles in his time with Slow Burn and this show is now
exception.
Little Bruno Vida plays the orphan boy Tobias, who befriends
Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett. His high tenor voice is one of the loveliest in the
cast. Also in fine voice is Christian Vandepas, who plays Johanna’s callow
boyfriend, Anthony.
Shawn Wayne King makes a properly dastardly villain, Judge
Turpin, who eyes his ward Johanna with bad intent. When she rebukes him it will
get worse for the innocent lass, making the viewer sympathize with Sweeney all
the more.
A special note to Ann Marie Olson for her mysterious beggar
woman for both her singing and acting.
The opera-like musical score and tongue-twisting lyrics are
devilishly complex, but this cast of non-union and professional actors execute
it well with the help of musical director Manny Schvartzman and a small but
precise combo, which includes a churchy organ.
This is not “Some Enchanted Evening” in the romantic sense,
but it is funny, lively entertainment with a nod to history. Thankfully
Fitzwater has not elected to go all gory with fake blood as I’ve seen in some
other productions. The story is nasty enough in pantomime without special
effects pantomime.
Tickets are $35 adults, $30 seniors and $20 students. Call
866-811-4111 or go to slowburntheatre.org.
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