Review: Attend this Tale of 'Sweeney Todd'

When I saw the exceptional revival of the Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine musical "Into the Woods," early this season (via Encores!), I was convinced that no other revival could come close to being as good as the dynamic and sublime work done by director extraordinaire Lear deBessonet and his magnificent ensemble, led by the gloriously wicked Patina Miller. (The National Tour is currently in Philadelphia. For more about upcoming dates, follow this link.)

All these months later, yet another Sondheim revival forces me to eat my words: Thomas Kail's spectacular production of "Sweeney Todd," currently slaying audiences at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

I've been lucky enough to have seen the original on Broadway, with Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou, as a mere lad in 1979, and the decent-enough Bob Gunton-Beth Fowler revival in 1989. I also attended both the New York Philharmonic concert with Patti LuPone and George Hearn in 2000, and the third scaled-down Broadway revival with LuPone and Michael Cerveris in 2005. So, you could say I'm a fan of the material. (There is also, of course, the Tim Burton film. End sentence.)

Kail brilliantly mixes hair-raising horror and savage satire constructing, arguably, the most significant "Sweeney" to date, boasting a 25-member cast led by Josh Grobin and Annaleigh Ashford and a creative team that outdo themselves. It's two hours and 45 minutes of sheer wonder, joy, excitement, terror, heartbreak, and transcendence.

For those living in a cave, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is based on a popular 19th century London character, Benjamin Barker, who was terribly wronged (wife violated and left to die, daughter seized by a powerful judge) and then sent to prison. Barker returns as Sweeney Todd and teams up with meat pie shop owner, Mrs. Lovett, to seek revenge on those who destroyed his life. Todd and Lovett devise a plan: The barber will slit the throats of his enemies (and, eventually, others), and she will bake them into meat pies! Yes, this was the musical that Sondheim and his clever book writer, Hugh Wheeler, came up with in the late '70s. Yet, it succeeded beyond anyone's wildest imaginations... critically, that is, since the initial run did not make money (no surprise: Audiences were not expecting the macabre/dark comedy mix).

Today, things are quite different. "Sweeney" still shocks, but not in a manner that would turn away patrons. It shocks because we catch ourselves cheering and applauding murder and cannibalism.

Grobin is a revelation. His Sweeney is angry and vengeful, but also quite human. We feel for him and cannot help but want him to get his due, even if that means slaughtering people. By the tragic end, our hearts break for how his choices have come to haunt and devastate him.

Ashford, so extraordinary as Dot in the recent revival of Sondheim's best musical, "Sunday in the Park with George" (although this "Sweeney" might challenge that notion for some), does something miraculous with Mrs. Lovett: She invokes the broad, wacky comedy of Lansbury and blends it with the seductive and fiendish elements LuPone brought to the role. She then grounds the character in her own kind of reality, one that is mad and surreal, yet also palpable and relatable – an astonishing feat. She's also funny as fuck! It's the slam-dunk performance of the Broadway season.

There are so many terrific performances. Gaten Matarazzo's Tobias is quite moving, and Jordan Fisher brings warmth to the bland Antony. Ruthie Ann Miles finds both the thundering looniness and deep poignancy as the mysterious Beggar Woman.

Sondheim did some of his most outstanding songwriting with "Sweeney." The classic tunes include "Not While I'm Around," "Pretty Women," "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd," and, of course, the Act One tour de force closer "A Little Priest," all performed and acted expertly by the cast. Grobin is especially feral in "Epiphany" as he growls, "They all deserve to die. Tell you why, Mrs. Lovett, tell you why."

Ashford's rendition of "By the Sea" shows her desperate longing for a life where she and Todd are "Married nice and proper." Her mix of humor, pathos, and desire makes for one of the evening's most potent and show-stopping moments.

Mimi Lien's set design is vast and evocative. She uses every inch of the stage to pull us into the milieu, and it's all perfectly complimented by Natasha Katz's magnetically chilling lighting design. Jeremy Chernick and Nevin Steinberg's sound design and Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations bring the glorious music to kinetic life. And to say that the show is hard on its vocalists is an understatement, but every member of the ensemble proves up to the challenge, killing each devilishly divine musical number.

One of the many things that makes this musical a true wonder is its unapologetic genre fusions. In addition, we are given protagonists who don't behave the way musical theater heroes are supposed to behave; instead, they show their hatred, greed, and bloodthirst. It's a difficult, disturbing portrait of humanity – a hellish one, yet also a cathartic one.

"Sweeney Todd" is currently playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 West 46th Street, NYC. For more information, visit the show's website.