Published: July 14, 2008 10:49 am            

CAST’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ is a not-so bloody surprise

When I first read the press release in the Clinton Herald for “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” I have to admit I was a little leery about seeing the latest production at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre.

Graphic violence and flying body parts are not exactly my cup of tea.

Don’t get me wrong. I love being scared but the only gore I’d ever want to see would have an “Al” in front of it.

Within minutes of the start of the program however, I smiled and settled in knowing the next couple of hours were going to take me on one hilarious and wild ride.

From the moment you are seated, the gloomy set strikes a tone of dangerous depression. The sparse design and spooky lighting conjure up images of Jack the Ripper and Jeckle vs. Hyde. An amazing orchestra behind the set startles us with Stephen Sondheim’s loud freaky organ music completing the feeling of doom and despair.

When the cast takes stage to sing the ballad of Sweeney Todd, the audience is literally assaulted with discordant singing laced with screaming; tender music skewered by torturous pain. We feel Sweeney’s inner agony; love, pain, and twisted hope fused with bitterness, anger, and hate.

Slowly, we begin the giant upward climb of Director Craig A. Miller’s rollercoaster ride of a production. We learn the background of Sweeney’s madness; how his young wife caught the eye of a lecherous Judge who had Sweeney imprisoned on trumped up charges. Boo…Hiss…

Fifteen years later, Sweeney has returned to find only plain Mrs. Lovett, the landlady who runs a less-than-popular meat-pie pub under his old barber shop. She remembers his piteous story and allows him to set up shop again upstairs — secretly hoping for love.

But Sweeney is obsessed only with revenge — not only against the Judge and his cohorts, but against mankind in general. He sees all that’s wrong with society and wants nothing more than to punish it, one unfortunate customer at a time. Once forced to, Mrs. Lovett displays her own dark side by coming up with an ingenious way to dispose of the bodies and improve the taste of her meat pies at the same time.

From there, gothic hilarity ensues and we ride the rest of the show hurtling back and forth from one theatrical trick to another. You will see it all in this production and it must be a blast to perform. The show contains almost every stage element in the book and it is just plain fun.

In the midst of all the “theater” there are some excellent performances. Returning actors Alison Luff and Joshua Estrada play the quintessential young lovers torn apart by cruelty. Their rendition of “Ladies in Their Sensitivities/Kiss Me” along with Karl Wolf as evil Judge Turpin and Ryan Nelson as his cohort Beadle, is a great number.

Christina Stroup plays the loony Beggar Woman and gets lots of laughs but it’s her singing voice that is truly amazing.

The lead roles are played by Chicago-area actors Blake Adams and Dallas Milholland who appeared together in this play while in college and have remained good friends. Their chemistry shows onstage and both are as delightful as you can be when you’re murdering and serving up your victims in a warm meat-pie. Their number “A Little Priest” is uproarious.

Milholland is perfectly charming as Mrs. Lovett and it’s no wonder she secured this part. The first song she sings is extremely difficult to perform but necessary for us to learn how she eventually decides to “tweak” the ingredients of her meat-pies. Mrs. Lovitt is quirky and frankly crazy but shows a very tender side when her young assistant expresses his true caring for her. That scene brought some in the audience to tears.

Adams is disarming as the murderous Sweeney— piteous and pale, mourning the loss of his sweet wife and daughter. This guy is so scary during one scene where he expresses his anger and madness to the audience that I was glad to be seated back in row F! Later, when Sweeney makes yet another horrible discovery — the audience is first shocked and then rocked with the emotion expressed by Adams as he realistically portrays Sweeney’s personal shock and horror.

Best of all, both actors were extremely impressed by the community support of the Showboat Theatre. They couldn’t say enough about what a difference that can make and how wonderful it makes the actors feel about performing here. Good job, Clinton!

General information

Repeat Offender Program: Save your ticket stub and come back with a friend. They will pay full price but you will get in free!

The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre shows are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Afternoon shows are Wednesday and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Adult tickets are $18 and student tickets are $12. Children 12 or under pay $8. Call 242-6760 for more information.

        

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