Sweeney, the Barber-ian
Friend Fig is stage managing the East West Players production of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Little Tokyo at the David Henry Hwang Theatre, which runs from February 8 through March 5, 2006. I had the opportunity to see it last week, and I must say, it's a deliciously dark, fun and well-acted musical. For those who don't know the story, it takes place in Victorian London, and concerns the tragic tale of a barber, "Sweeney Todd" - out for revenge after being wrongly accused of a crime and sent to Australia for 15 years by a corrupt judge and his beadle. The story begins with the barber's return to London, only to find that his wife had taken poison after being raped by the judge, and his daughter was now the judge's ward. Wicked laughs ensue when Sweeney is befriended by a woman, Mrs. Lovett, who owns a shop that sells "The worst pies in London." Given that Sweeney needs to dispose of his victims discretely and Mrs. Lovett needs to stir business by upping the quality of the meat in her pies (and has no qualms about a little thing like murder), they make the perfect demented partners in crime.Ronald M. Banks in the title role was perfect. Probably the
best Sweeney I've seen - he was psychotic yet likeable and his deep voice was awesome whether speaking or singing. Ray A. Rochelle was well cast also, committing 100% to the twisted, perverted role of Judge Turpin. Also notable were Lito Villareal and Antoine Reynaldo Diel, who played the Beadle and Pirelli, respectively. Marilyn Tokuda is very likeable as Mrs. Lovett and gets a lot of laughs, as well. Overall, there was a lot of fine acting and singing going on, although there were a couple of performers who seemed a bit timid when singing and their voices came out somewhat soft and flat, but otherwise, I enjoyed what everyone was doing on stage. Especially Ronald and Ray.The show moved along at a quick pace no doubt due to the professional work by Tim Dang, Director. Set was cool. Lighting was cool, done by Lighting Designer Rand Ryan. Actually, the lighting was really cool - reds, greens and purples were cast about in creepy, uneasy ways, with shadows lurking about here and there. Although blanketing the stage in red whenever a murder took place seemed a little heavy handed and typical, it was no doubt effective. And of course, the music by Stephen Sondheim is wonderfully sick, funny and filled with lots of clever word play. All this together makes another EWP production that you shouldn't miss. I'd love to get in with this theater company as all their shows are quality. Just another thing to add to the list. Anyway, go see it - tickets are available online here.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home