Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

The audience sits in darkness eagerly anticipating the opening scene of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.  As the first few strains of the haunting music made famous by Stephen Sondheim sets the disturbingly sinister tone, fog creeps in from dark, hidden places, a sense of foreboding and fright begins to take hold, then LIGHTS ON and you are there, transported to London, Fleet Street to be exact, in 1846. So begins this twisted tale of love, revenge, debauchery and regret presented to you by the outstanding performances and members of the Longwood University Theatre Department.

Bringing a show to life in general is a tough process but producing a musical is very difficult due to simply finding the powerhouse voices required to fill the lead roles. However, a musical thriller with major set changes occurring as the audience watches, timed perfectly amid the actors’ singing and dancing is no small undertaking. Combine those feats with being seated in an intimate theatre-in-the-round, a “black box” studio with highly-flexible, adjustable, movable seats and stage that allows for every member of the audience to see and almost be part of the action (since it is occurring five feet in front of them) and that makes this show well worth attending.

The tale of Benjamin Barker, a barber falsely accused and imprisoned by the nefarious Judge Turpin who returns to London to seek his bloody revenge is brought to life by the talented cast of Longwood’s Theatre Department.  Austin Madison, a Junior Communications Major, plays Sweeney Todd with a gusto and swagger that meshes well with Todd’s dark and disturbing  psychological issues. Madison’s performance is a perfect match with Taylor Bosta, a Senior Theatre Major with a tremendous voice who plays Mrs. Lovett, the pie shop owner and Sweeney’s cohort in crime. Senior Theatre Major Trent Williams plays Judge Turpin with a rigid, stern demeanor and his henchman, The Beadle is played by Freshman Music Major Carlito Trotter. The lovers, Johanna and Anthony are played by Freshmen Haley Mizelle and Corwin Donnel and the boy Tobias Ragg is played by Colin Williams, a Senior Theatre Major.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will be performed at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 19, Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21, and Sunday, February 22 at 3 p.m. at the Longwood Center for Communication Studies and Theatre at the corner of Race and Franklin Street. Tickets must be purchased in advance at the Longwood Box Office or online. Please keep in mind that this show is recommended for mature audiences and that strobe lights and haze effects will be used during this production.