But We Wouldn't Want to Give It Away

The New Sweeney

It isn’t giving anything away to tell you that the current production of Sweeney Todd is a radical departure from the original – and a significant improvement.. It won’t hurt for you to know that, without altering the script or the score, the director has elevated Tobias, a minor character, into a major one, making him the focal point of the show. Certainly, his is the sensibility through which the audience witnesses the horror of Sweeney Todd. He is played magnetically by Manoel Felicino.

What is so interesting is that all of the raw material was there to begin with. It’s a credit to John Doyle the director for conceiving this production. But what is more fascinating is that it makes one think about the missed opportunities of the original. ST was played on a large proscenium stage. Scaffolding reflected the levels of a classed society; the social (dis)order. At the center of this large stage was a revolving set representing Sweeney’s Tonsorial Parlor, Mrs. Lovett’s Pie Shop and the god-awful oven. The problem was that it did not truly play as a study of social disorder. Sweeney played Grand Guignol; Mrs. Lovett vaudeville – it was charming, well-played, but a disconnection. This version substitutes an intimate atmosphere for the large scale, reduces the players – cast is also orchestra – to ten altogether, and makes the point that really everyone, regardless of social station, goes down well with beer. This is not to be missed.