“Sweeney Todd”

Highly Recommended ***** As TheoUbique prepares to leave its home at No Exit Café in Rogers Park, heading further North to the border ( Evanston side of Howard Street), they are doing a production that will definitely leave its mark! Their production of “Sweeney Todd :The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is an absolutely amazing one, to say the least. Chicago area theatergoers have had many recent productions of Stephen Sondheim’s ( book by Hugh Wheeler) near- opera. Drury Lane did a sterling production two seasons ago and last year, The Paramount in Aurora was outstanding. How can a little intimate storefront space like No Exit possibly put this on their stage? That was the question many were asking.

Anyone that is familiar with this tiny, musical theater, under the guidance of its Artistic Director , Fred Anzevino, who took the helm of this one as well, knows the limitations of the space, and knows how to make every little bit of the space a part of the production. He has been doing this for 13 plus years and has never stepped down when faced with a challenge, and in fact, more often than not, exceeded the expectations of those who attend this theater on a regular basis. For 13 plus years, Fred has brought the impossible to this tiny space and I am sure that when the move is made, the larger theater will be used as well by this man and the staff he works with (assistant director, Courtney Crouse; Musical Director Jeremy Ramey; Choreographers James Beaudry and Brenda Didier along with all the scenic, lighting, sound and costume people). Great people who love what they do (and it shows!).

“Sweeney Todd” is the story of a barber, who was taken to prison on phony charges, leaving his wife and small daughter behind. He is now coming back in hopes of re-uniting his family and starting his new life with them. When he finds that his wife is allegedly dead and his daughter is now the ward of the man who sent him to prison, he decides that vengeance must be his, so with the help of Mrs. Lovett, who owns a pie place, and at one time fancied the barber, he opens a barber shop and plans his opportunity to even the score with these men who ruined his life.

There are some complications and some falsehoods involved and if you do not know the entire story, I will only tell you that there is a great deal of dark humor in this marvelous musical where Sondheim’s ability to write lyrics that are amazing will keep you glued to your seats for close to three hours. Yes, there is a 20 minute intermission ( they only have two bathrooms in this venue). The time flew by quickly. Because there is a dinner option at No Exit, during the intermission, those who ordered the special dinner, enjoyed their desert and coffee. Others, just drinks. FYI- the dinner for this production:

salad- Bloody Beet Salad; warm beets with greens, fried rosemary,spiced cashews and crumbled cheese

dinner-Deconstructed Meat Pie; pork loin and bacon with mixed veggies served in a pastry puff

dessert-vanilla sesame seed cake with a berry glaze

there is also a vegetarian option of seitan for the pork and bacon

Now back to the show:

As I have said for years, TheoUbique finds some of the warmest talent around, or as Anzevino once told me, they seem to seek out this company. Young talent, moving to Chicago, hearing of this little gem in Rogers Park, seeks out the opportunity to work with the talented people who have brought success to this amazing little storefront.

The cast for this wonderful ( MUST-SEE) production is made up of Phillip Torre as Sweeney Todd. His voice is rich and powerful, as one might expect an opera singer’s to be. Being only a few feet from him, one can see his acting ability as well. His co-star, Mrs. Lovett ,is deftly handled by Jacquelyne Jones, also an amazing talent, who I am sure we will see a lot more of. Remember, these performers are as close as the table next to you in a restaurant and they play off each other and the audience members to perfection.

Frankie Leo Bennett is an amazing Toby, the young lad who is taken in by Mrs. Lovett, and learns a bit about love and caring from her. His rendition of “Not While I’m Around” will send a chill down your spine, Mrs. Lovett handles this number as well. There are many songs in this near opera and some of them are there to keep the story going. The stand-outs are as always  “Worst Pies In London”, “A Little Priest” ( a n adorable number that Todd and Mrs. Lovett close Act One with) and “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” which tells us the story and is handled by the strong ensemble that Anzevino has assembled:

Megan Elk (Beggar Lady) ,Cecilia Iole as Johanna (she played this character in Aurora as well), Nathan Carroll as Anthony ( love interest for Johanna, who also brings a tear to your eye with his rendition of “Johanna”),, the adorable Kevin Webb as The Beadle, John B. Leen as the villainous Judge, Ryan Armstrong, Grant Brown, Missy Wise, Trevoe Vanderzee,  and Hope Elizabeth Schafer. Voices that will amaze and astound you from start to finish!

The musical director is, of course Jeremy Ramey, who also handles the piano. The other three musicians are amazing, sounding like an orchestra: Simeon Tsanve on violin, Jay Gummert on reeds and Rachel Schuldt on cello.

Ben Lipinski has redone the entire theater to resemble Mrs. Lovett’s Pie House and the street known as Fleet. The patrons are surrounded by the action and we get to look right into their eyes. James Kolditz on lighting and Aji Slater with props along with Bill Morey on costumes and Beaudry’s choreography along with the dialect coaching by Darren Hill and the Violence choreography by R & D Choreography round out the technical aspects of this well designed production. How fitting for the final musical at No Exit to be one of Sondheim’s most memorable, allowing the patrons of this theater to have a memory that will last forever.

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” will continue at No Exit Theatre, located at 6970 N. Glenwood ( right by Morse Avenue Red Line station) thru April 29th ( I do hope they can extend)                               with performances as  follows:

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  7:30 p.m.

Sundays  7 p.m.

Tickets are $39- $44 ( a true value in theater of this quality) and the optional dinner adds only $25.

Seniors and students- $5 discount.

There is street parking in the area.

To order your chance to see this special production of one of my favorite Sondheim shows call 1-800-595-4849 or visit http://www.the-u.com

Beverages of all types are available and they do have rush tickets at $20 cash, at the door students with ID’s

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”.