Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street doesn't start with a bang. Instead, a high-pitched, piercing screech immediately sets the dark tone of the musical. Despite some comical moments and light-hearted aspects, the haunting mood persists throughout the show as viewers become enveloped in the progressive madness of Sweeney Todd.
This fall's production differs from past shows because of the combined efforts of Hoof 'n' Horn, Duke's student-run theater group, and the theater studies department. While the latter created a list of six possible musicals last spring, Hoof 'n' Horn made the final decision to produce Sweeney Todd.
The musical tells the story of a barber who returns to London after being sent away by one Judge Turpin. Upon his return, he discovers his wife dead and his daughter Johanna under the guardianship of the judge. Todd then works with his tenant, Mrs. Lovett, to murder unsuspecting customers in his barber chair while she bakes them into meat pies, all the while waiting for the chance to exact revenge upon Turpin.
Sweeney Todd is directed by John Clum, professor of theater studies and English, and produced by Miriam Sauls, director of theater and communication for theater studies, and sophomore Ben Bergmann of Hoof 'n' Horn. The music was written by Stephen Sondheim and directed by George Lam.
"The difference between this and the usual Hoof 'n' Horn show is that Sweeney Todd has a staff of 14 professionals," Clum wrote in an e-mail. "It is really functioning like a theater studies production."
This is also one of the larger shows produced at Duke, with an additional 25 students, eight musicians in the orchestra pit and more than a dozen members on the production team.
The musical, which requires immense acting and singing talent on the part of the actors, is considered by many to be one of Sondheim's most complicated and intricate scores.
"We were worried at first about whether we could find people who could both sing and act and an orchestra that could play [the music]," Clum said. "We were blessed in finding such groups."
The set and costumes took as much effort as the casting. The futuristic, Victorian scenery is complex, such as Todd's trap door for victims and skyline projections onto the background. Clum believes that the set for the show "is one of the most elaborate ever on the Reynolds stage."
Besides the technical challenges, the student actors also had to construct a show that people could relate to and understand. Todd's murders seem to warrant no justification. Despite his heartless exterior, however, the audience cannot help but pity and even sympathize with him.
"At the start, he's just a normal guy who's looking for his wife and daughter," said Scott Cruikshank, one of two actors playing the title character. "It's only later when he spirals down into madness."
Duke's production focuses on this regression more so than some other versions of the musical. The audience experiences Todd's turmoil right alongside him even before witnessing his first kill.
"What's been challenging is trying to keep [the play] from becoming this spectacle about just the meat pies," said senior Nate Jones, the other Sweeney Todd.
In this respect, with amusing scenes and sentimental moments, Duke's production is a far cry from Tim Burton's dark, sinister 2007 film version starring Johnny Depp.
"We're playing it a little more realistic [than the movie]," Jones said. "People still laugh; people still have relationships. You get the whole range of human emotions."
As one last suggestion, Jones recommends attending the Halloween performance.
"You can come in costume, and you can bring a date," Jones said. "It's a surprisingly good 'date' show because you can always promise your date that you're a nicer guy than Sweeney Todd."
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will be performed in Reynolds Industries Theater Oct. 23, 24, 25, 30 and Nov. 1 at 8 p.m.; Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 at 2 p.m.; and Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors.
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