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Dabbling in Darkness
Little Theatre's 'Todd' gets close
By: Alicia Grega-Pikul 09/23/2004
"Sweeney Todd" continues at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m. Call 823-1875 for tickets.
The impressive sets and special effects that delight Broadway crowds, are the least likely aspect of theatrical production to materialize on the community theatre stage.
Local audiences have learned to live on strict rations of such mood-setting devices, but they'll never stop longing to be swept away to another world.
Admirably, Joe Sheridan's production of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" that opened at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre last weekend creates such a mood. I say Sheridan's production because as director, production designer/technical director and in the lead role of Sweeney Todd, the man has clearly staked his claim in this production.
The set is not only visually striking and successfully functional, it's also united in concept with dimly gothic Victorian lighting (Madison Izzo and Eddie Topper) and suitably drab costumes (Regina Schmid-Allen). With plenty of London fog, fiery diabolical light, and startling air horn blasts, the technical aspects of this production cheat us in few regards. Safety cushioning does repeatedly pops out of the "fresh meat" chute. It's distracting, but potentially repairable. Of greater concern are the body mics worn by Sheridan and Barbara Wilson as Mrs. Lovett. They fade in and out and are tuned so sensitively that we inappropriately pick up ensemble echo, off-stage whispering and at least one struggle to normalize breath.
More congenial than revengeful, Sheridan's voice is pleasant but not edgy. He finds the ironic beauty Sondheim built into strains of "The Barber and His Wife/Poor Thing" and "Pretty Women," and the playfulness of the pun-packed "A Little Priest." But the deeper soul of the songs eludes him. Wilson is nurturing but unsure of how to play the comic implications of her character. She struggles to keep up with Sondheim's quirky pacing. "By the Sea" could have easily been eliminated.
Dawn Winarski serves the show well as the beggar woman. Her character work is clear, her vocal work strong and other than Boberick, perhaps, she's the only one with a suitable accent. I really enjoyed watching her in this role.
Musically, the production is strongest during its few full-cast ensemble numbers. The pieces are balanced and certainly powerful. Alan Waclawski's resonant bass is a blessing in "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd." As Judge Turpin, the actor is unfortunately less effective. His self-flagellation in "Johanna" is creepy, but too literal a choice. His dialouge with Beadle (Marty Wentz) resonates like two businessmen chatting on a golf course - interesting, but it sticks out of the production's Victorian cloth.
Mark Boberick's trained Broadway-style voice is a relief. His duets with soprano Mariane Ferentino are satisfying, but it's his solo work on "Johanna," that blows the audience away. Seth Brandreth catches the kitsch of the con man barber Pirelli, but the actor's strengths are better represented in his ensemble work. Tony Alberti plays the childlike moron angle of Pirelli's assistant Tobias. He delivers a very pretty version of "Not While I'm Around," that is sadly diminished by a pop-star vocal style.
The climactic moments of the musical are chaotic and the finale somewhat clumsy, but the score and book are so darn good, you're just glad it's not "Oklahoma!" again. It at least tries to confront the audience.
Odds are "Sweeney Todd" won't be on our Broadway tour circuit any time soon. Little Theatre's production may suffer from sound issues and amateur acting, but it's by no means without merit. It's got plenty of atmosphere to go round and you'll enjoy soaking it up.
Little Theatre's 'Todd' gets close
By: Alicia Grega-Pikul 09/23/2004
"Sweeney Todd" continues at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m. Call 823-1875 for tickets.
The impressive sets and special effects that delight Broadway crowds, are the least likely aspect of theatrical production to materialize on the community theatre stage.
Local audiences have learned to live on strict rations of such mood-setting devices, but they'll never stop longing to be swept away to another world.
Admirably, Joe Sheridan's production of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" that opened at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre last weekend creates such a mood. I say Sheridan's production because as director, production designer/technical director and in the lead role of Sweeney Todd, the man has clearly staked his claim in this production.
The set is not only visually striking and successfully functional, it's also united in concept with dimly gothic Victorian lighting (Madison Izzo and Eddie Topper) and suitably drab costumes (Regina Schmid-Allen). With plenty of London fog, fiery diabolical light, and startling air horn blasts, the technical aspects of this production cheat us in few regards. Safety cushioning does repeatedly pops out of the "fresh meat" chute. It's distracting, but potentially repairable. Of greater concern are the body mics worn by Sheridan and Barbara Wilson as Mrs. Lovett. They fade in and out and are tuned so sensitively that we inappropriately pick up ensemble echo, off-stage whispering and at least one struggle to normalize breath.
More congenial than revengeful, Sheridan's voice is pleasant but not edgy. He finds the ironic beauty Sondheim built into strains of "The Barber and His Wife/Poor Thing" and "Pretty Women," and the playfulness of the pun-packed "A Little Priest." But the deeper soul of the songs eludes him. Wilson is nurturing but unsure of how to play the comic implications of her character. She struggles to keep up with Sondheim's quirky pacing. "By the Sea" could have easily been eliminated.
Dawn Winarski serves the show well as the beggar woman. Her character work is clear, her vocal work strong and other than Boberick, perhaps, she's the only one with a suitable accent. I really enjoyed watching her in this role.
Musically, the production is strongest during its few full-cast ensemble numbers. The pieces are balanced and certainly powerful. Alan Waclawski's resonant bass is a blessing in "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd." As Judge Turpin, the actor is unfortunately less effective. His self-flagellation in "Johanna" is creepy, but too literal a choice. His dialouge with Beadle (Marty Wentz) resonates like two businessmen chatting on a golf course - interesting, but it sticks out of the production's Victorian cloth.
Mark Boberick's trained Broadway-style voice is a relief. His duets with soprano Mariane Ferentino are satisfying, but it's his solo work on "Johanna," that blows the audience away. Seth Brandreth catches the kitsch of the con man barber Pirelli, but the actor's strengths are better represented in his ensemble work. Tony Alberti plays the childlike moron angle of Pirelli's assistant Tobias. He delivers a very pretty version of "Not While I'm Around," that is sadly diminished by a pop-star vocal style.
The climactic moments of the musical are chaotic and the finale somewhat clumsy, but the score and book are so darn good, you're just glad it's not "Oklahoma!" again. It at least tries to confront the audience.
Odds are "Sweeney Todd" won't be on our Broadway tour circuit any time soon. Little Theatre's production may suffer from sound issues and amateur acting, but it's by no means without merit. It's got plenty of atmosphere to go round and you'll enjoy soaking it up.
posted by Mark at 16:58
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