My Own Take: Hartford Stage and TheaterWorks' 'Sweeney Todd'

The show: The musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” presented at Hartford Stage.

What makes it special?: It’s the first major collaboration (finally!) between Hartford Stage and TheaterWorks Hartford, directed by TheaterWorks’ longtime artistic producing director Rob Ruggiero. It’s also the first major musical on the Hartford Stage in years. It’s also one of composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s greatest scores and a favorite of mine since the time I saw the original production with the late great Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou (now 86 and still performing).

Quick takeaway?: This production is the best musical production I’ve seen in Connecticut in years. If there is a one-word review, it would simply be: “Magnificent.”

That’s quite a statement: I know and I'm not one to go overboard unless it’s a show that is very special. But this production is great on so many levels: the productions’s concept, the performances, the staging and all the design elements. And there’s one other thing that makes it even more extraordinary.

Which is?: This is a near operatic show by Sondheim with a story and score that is nothing less than epic. But this production has a cast of just nine. Now there’ve been other small-cast productions of “Sweeney Todd,” so many in fact that they have been witty labeled “Teeny Todd.” There was a very good production by director Gabe Barre at Goodspeed Opera House many years ago. And of course there were productions on and off-Broadway that were also small-scaled.

But here the show is being presented on the rather large Hartford Stage where a small cast might feel dwarfed by the space with the overall production feeling rather short-changed. (I remember a really small-cast musical production at Long Wharf Theatre years ago that could have been easily retitled “Guy and Doll..” But that’s another story.)

Remind us what the show is about: Adapted from Christopher Bond’s play it follows Benjamin Barker, a barber, as he returns to London after being wrongly imprisoned . He is seeking revenge on the judge who ruined his life and took away his family. Now renaming himself as a disguise “ Sweeney Todd,” he reopens his barber shop and after missing a chance to kill the judge, begins to go even deeper into madness. While awaiting another opportunity for his revenge he begins killing his customers, while his entrepreneurial partner Mrs. Lovett turns the bodies into meat pies to sell in her now very popular shop. Todd’s actions soon spiral out of control, destroying many lives and leading this dark and disturbing story to its a tragic ending.

Doesn't sound like much of a jolly time: Fortunately, Hugh Wheeler’s amazingly economical and dynamic script and Sondheim’s dazzling and often delicious lyrics are witty, smart and brighten the show with many moments of delightful dark humor. The performances , too, are expertly measured and strike a delicate balance between seriousness and playfulness.

Ruggiero has shown his expertise time and time again at bringing an authentic human connection to the characters in the many musicals he has staged (they were some of Goodspeed’s very best shows). He does it here again in a show that has some wild emotional swings, but grounding them all in a sense of realness that keeps you connected to even the most outrageous moments. He also makes imaginative use of the stage and audience space, using theatergoers in the front as the audience for the barber duel and as Mrs. Lovett’s hungry patrons. He also had fun using the audience wraparound runway (which I recall was first effectively used for another great Hartford Stage musical: “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.”)

But all would be naught if it wasn't for the perfection of every member of the cast. Jackie Burns does wonders as Mrs. Lovett, showing her sexiness, wiliness, desperation and especially her humor in a role that — like the title character — is a tour de force and which she triumphs. William Butler and Lauren Maria Medina as the young lovers not only have voices that soar but are filled with rich personality, too (and what notes Medina hits, too). Cole Thompson is endearing as Toby; Brian Ray Norris makes a richly sung and aptly oily Beadle'; Tristan Caldwell has great fun with Pirelli and as Todd’s deadpan — pun intended — victims. Carey Brown plays madness with heart and the audience was in fine hands with Edward Watts, bringing years of stage presence, voice and craft into the role of the imperious judge.

The show would not be the show if there wasn’t a Sweeney that took your breath away and Faucher does exactly that with his rich bass/baritone which nails Sondheim’s demanding score but also captures his character’s sadness, pain, madness and intimacy. Side note: In a review I wrote when Faucher played Jud in “Oklahoma!” at Goodspeed in 2017, I noted that someone should cast him as Sweeney Todd. (I now wish I could think of another casting suggestion: Perhaps Ben in “Follies,” Frederick in “A Little Night Music,” Javert in “Les Mix?” and , natch, The Phantom. Others?)

Production values?: The set is by Luke Cantarella who has done miraculous work at Theaterworks Hartford for years and creates a stunning design here, filling the grand stage — and beyond — with foreboding period detail of 19th Century London without swallowing the players. Ralph Perkins choreographed the movement into one flowing whole and John Lasiter’s lighting and Fabien Fidel Aguilar’s costumes all added to the show’s rich atmosphere.

But special applause shoud be directed to the sound designer Beth Lake. With actors performing throughout the theater, with a full-sounding orchestra (under the expert direction of Wiley DeWeese) playing god-knows-where and with Sondheim’s dazzlingly detailed but sometimes, mile-a-minute lyrics, she made every word and note distinctly heard, which all contributed to one great soundscape.

Who will like it?: Fans of musicals, especially Sondheimians (count me in). Lovers of dark tales. Carnivores.

Who won’t?: Those who only like their musical light and upbeat. Vegetarians.

For the kids?: Older kids —especially teens — will relish the black humor and will be taken in by the grand sweep of the show..

Looking into the future?: One hopes this run is extended. On as Tuesday night the theater was filled — which I havent seen in some time. The show’s end had a leaping (not a begrudging) ovation in which I joined in. (I almost never do because standing ovations now have been so cheapened where every show great or awful gets one. This one deserved it.)

Thoughts on leaving the parking lot?: I’ve often said Mrs. Lovett’s red scarf is a missed opportunity for added tension in the song “Not While I’m Around.” But that stage note, I guess, is best saved for my version of “Sweeney Todd.” In the meantime, this is one of the best versions of this great musical that I’ve seen. So go!

Info: The show runs through July 5. The running time is about 2 hours and 45, including an intermission. Hartfordstage.org and TwHartford.org.