Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Barbaric Barber Livens Up This Tragicomedy

HANSKY SANTOS / THE HOYA
HANSKY SANTOS / THE HOYA

Considered by many to be Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” has been adapted many times throughout the 20th century, most recently with the 2007 feature film starring Johnny Depp and the inimitable Helena Bonham Carter. This weekend, the Mask & Bauble Dramatic Society offers its own adaptation of the classic.

The musical tells the story of a man named Benjamin Barker (Ryan Dull [COL ’12]) who returns to London following his 15 year imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. Upon his return, Benjamin learns from his former landlady and part-time entrepreneur, the outlandish Mrs. Lovett (Maria Zoulis [COL ’12]), that his wife poisoned herself after being raped by the judge who incarcerated him. Together with Lovett as his accomplice, the newly christened Sweeney Todd vows revenge on the city that betrayed him so many years ago.

In her rendition, director Alice Cash (COL ’13) eschews the gloomy undertones of Sondheim’s darkest creation in favor of a more lighthearted and comical approach. At times this felt like it failed to complement the play’s bleak momentum, and at other times, lent a warm relief from an otherwise depressing story — this, I believe, was her intention.

The performance evolves slowly throughout the first act, building upon its introduction to a dourer atmosphere, which arrives in full force at the outset of Act Two. By this time, the Todd and Lovett duo has already embarked on a string of murders that have, not coincidentally, resulted in the best meat pies the city of London has ever seen.

As the crazed barber, Dull proved a bit shy in depicting Todd’s spiral into insanity, though his strong voice was perfectly suited for the role. Luckily, Zoulis was there to pick up any dropped balls in the insanity department.

As Mrs. Lovett, the indomitable baker and the Bonnie to Todd’s Clyde, Zoulis was sensational, able to inject much of the character’s trademark utter madness and eccentricity into her portrayal. Lovett’s introductory song, the joke-filled “The Worst Pies in London,” was hysterical, as were the rest of the character’s songs.

As Judge Turpin, the corrupt magistrate who sentenced Barker to prison and then kidnapped his daughter, Shawn Summers (COL ’12) delivers the perfect amount of creepy called for by his character. He made for one of the most believable performances of the night.

Anthony Hope (Beni El-Dalati [COL ’12]) and Johanna Barker (Emma Clark [SFS ’13]) join forces as the unfortunate pair of star-crossed lovers. El-Dalati is phenomenal as Anthony; he and Clark enter as a brief respite from the doom and gloom that pervades the rest of the play, a respite which the pair was more than able to provide, easily stealing the show with their duet, “Kiss Me.”

Mask & Bauble has succeeded in its attempt to mitigate much of the show’s original melancholy, transforming it from a drama with a slight touch of comedic relief into a really depressing comedy. Not that that’s bad, however. It’s refreshing to see a new light shed on a classic which has otherwise remained virtually unchanged for over 30 years. It may have been a risky move on director Cash’s part, but with this performance, it was definitely worth the risk.

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