Reviewed 1/21/06
What Fountain Hills Community Theatre does with so little space is sometimes so amazing. Whenever people think about Stephen Sondheim’s epic thriller Sweeney Todd, it is through the prism of Hal Prince’s grandiose, Brechtian staging, played out on a giant stage containing huge set pieces and a large cast of London’s industrial age misfits. Recently, Broadway has re-engineered this musical with a limited cast who are also their own musicians, and the show has received quite a bit of acclaim. On the depth and height-challenged FHCT stage, director Peter J. Hill has found a way to retain some of the epic with a cast of twenty four while still working (admittedly a bit awkwardly) within its confines. Squarely resting on the hunched shoulders of the appropriately scenery-chewing George Pollard, this show is pretty damned impressive. However, elements of two of the leads performances, some hesitations from the ensemble in trying to tackle a nearly impossible Sondheim score, and set pieces that barely fit the stage keep this from being a perfect production. This is, by no means, an indictment; a really good Sweeney is still a rave.
Hill’s direction is measured, carefully considered, and ominously paced. He is able to keep the show fluid and unrelenting. Jeff Blake’s set creates levels on a stage where they seem impossible. Dennis Kodimer's creation for the barber chair is remarkable. Hill has also brought together a cast that can pull off this endeavor.
Pollard is the highlight. He captures the Victorian melodramatic style of acting to bring this revenge-fueled character to life. He finds the razor-thin line between expressive and over the top and somehow balances on it. It’s a wonderful performance. In terms of acting, Val Stasik is a great Mrs. Lovett. Her problem, and it’s a biggie, is that she cannot handle the extensive singing of the role. She struggles and tries, but at times it gets hard to listen to. Jesse Berger’s Anthony is a strong, consistent creation. He manages to take the character’s sweetness and make it loveable. He is balanced by a sweet-singing Lacy Sauter as Johanna whose voice is perfect for the fluttery tunes. Forrest Bachtel is a creepy Judge Turpin, and Erik Arriola’s grin and high tenor make for a reprehensible Beadle Bamford. Jennifer Toon has some good moments as the Beggar Woman, and Jeffrey Davey is hilarious as the ostentatious Pirelli. Stefan Linder is an odd choice for the simple Tobias. He does a good job with his character’s innocence, but his Germanic-tinged cockney accent is hard to understand.
The ensemble sometimes struggles with, and sometimes succeeds in presenting Sondheim’s difficult harmonies. There are several moments where people chime in early or late with their cues or sing the wrong words, but they are all able to bring across the tone of the show through acting and attitude.
While Blake’s set looks great and has a lot of really nice bells and whistles, it is not without it’s problems. The biggest is the tendency of those wheeling off the units to bang them against each other and the walls trying to move them on and off, which became a bit annoying. Daniel Davisson’s lighting design captures the tone of the piece successfully, and Lisa Suico’s costumes are all impressively chosen. Flora Mogerman’s five-piece band does a strong job of tackling Sondheim’s score.
This musical, one of my favorites, gets very little stage time in the valley, and when it is mounted, especially as well as FHCT has done here, it’s always worth a visit.-30-
