[ back ]
'Sweeney Todd' still cut below entertaining
(by Herb Hammer - June 23, 2010)
'Sweeney Todd' still cut below entertaining
When "Sweeney Todd" opened on Broadway some 30 years ago, audiences flocked to hear what kind of music Stephen Sondheim could put to the story of "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Hugh Wheeler's book created nearly as much interest. The publicity was overwhelming.
But like so many Stephen Sondheim musicals, "Sweeney Todd" was a disappointment. Though the show toured nearly everywhere and new productions popped up nationally and still are, critics and audiences alike have had rather mixed feelings.
Cain Park's Alma Theatre is performing still another version of the grizzly story of the vengeful barber and again the results are mixed. It's too bad, for the show could have been much better.
The story remains the same. Benjamin Barker returns to London, changes his name to Sweeney Todd and prepares to seek revenge on those who have wreaked havoc on his life. By now, he is nearly a mad man.
After setting up a barber shop above loony Mrs. Lovett's bakery, he proceeds to slit the throats of his customers including the judge who caused all the trouble in the first place. His well-known barber chair dumps the bodies into Mrs. Lovett's oven. Her newly baked pies become an overwhelming success.
This could have been hilarious, but at Cain Park, the entire sequence misses its mark. The haunting Sondheim score damages the comic elements of the book. The score has few melodic songs while the script leaves you cold. On top of that, the Cain Park production does little to keep its audiences interested.
We would like to see a menacing Sweeney Todd who will scare us out of our wits, but Benjamin Czarnota doesn't come close. Mr. Czarnota is a relatively small man with a big voice and not the overwhelming character needed to carry the show.
Patty Lohr as Mrs. Lovett brings her own problems to the role. Miss Lohr can surely sing, but appears to be completely unaware of the comedy built into the character.
At this point, it becomes clear that director Paul Gurgol just doesn't get it. His pacing is flat and slow and he has found the difficult show just too much for him. The comedy is pretty much left out as is the scary parts of the script.
Russ Borski's set is inexcusably poorly designed, and while there are some bright moments, the cheap looking set tends to bring them down.
Valerie Reaper as Sweeney's daughter, Johanna, is a blond lovely with a voice to match. We could have used more of her brilliant talent.
During the many years the City of Cleveland Heights has supported Broadway-style shows at Cain Park each summer, we had several opportunities to be entertained. The amphitheater and the smaller Alma Theatre were often kept busy all summer long.
Now, we're left with one show each year in the Alma. It's too bad the only one this year is such a letdown.
[ back ]
