The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

I try to avoid Broadway musicals whenever possible. However, at the risk of permanent damage to my “street cred” I’ll admit to enjoying myself immensely during two recent theatergoing excursions. The first was The Light in the Piazza, which I caught just before it closed at the Lincoln Center Theater. After the show, I was tempted to jet off to Florence immediately and wear fifties-style dresses with poufy circle skirts. This week, pressured by out-of-towners, I decided to “attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.”

I was astounded by the level of musicianship demonstrated by the entire cast, which thriftily doubles as the orchestra. Throughout the performance, I imagined playing my own instrument from memory while simultaneously singing, moving around the stage and negotiating props. While I’m accustomed to pieces that require extended techniques (i.e., plucking the piano strings with my fingers or other objects, speaking, whistling), performing in a Broadway show while playing is a little too extended for me.

Many of the cast members took up multiple instruments throughout the course of the evening. Several had turns at the keyboard; Alexander Gemignani (who, as the Beadle, earned hearty laughs with his deadpan comic delivery) proved to be a fantastic pianist. Apparently someone was paying attention in Keyboard Fundamentals. Manoel Felciano stole the show as a pajama-wearing violinist/clarinetist with a moderate case of Tourette’s. Patti LuPone, as the fishnet-and-miniskirt clad Mrs. Lovett, lent a sauciness to her part that prim Angela Lansbury (who originated the role) could never have mustered. I certainly can’t picture the “Murder, She Wrote” lady playing the tuba.

Dissonance is not typically a feature of musical theater (at least not the intentional kind). Yet in Sweeney Todd, Sondheim cleverly uses increasingly discordant harmonies and sound clusters to underscore the show’s progression into the grotesque, particularly as its momentum builds to a climax in the second half. The set and costumes were sparse but wildly effective, in stark black and white with shocks of crimson (buckets of fake blood and Ms. LuPone’s bright red lipstick).
I am intrigued by news of a similarly unconventional staging of Sondheim’s Company set to open on Broadway this fall. Just don’t expect to see me in line for Jersey Boys anytime soon.