The Real Critics Editor/Publisher
Creating gory special effects on stage is no easy task. The effects can easily look fake and costumes have to be worn again the following night, so blood stains are not favorable.
Yucaipa Little Theatre’s production of “Sweeney Todd” not only did an excellent job of keeping the audience on edge, using authentic effects, but also kept their costumes fairly clean. One bloody instance was so well executed that it literally caused an audience member to groan with discomfort and say, out loud, “oh my, it’s real!” The same man later said “what a great show for October,” obviously pleased with his experience.
The horrific production was not only a good choice for October, but also for Yucaipa Little Theatre. From the very opening of the show with “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,” YTL’s production had great intensity, vocal talent and some really fabulous costumes.The theatrical space was also utilized well. YTL does not have much space to work with, but they always seem to have fun set pieces, on wheels, with multiple purposes. Pirelli’s stagecoach, for example, rolled on stage and unfolded to become quite the spectacle.
“Sweeney Todd” is actually considered an opera. The fact that the music in this production was well sung and in time is a testament to the ensemble in and of itself. Singing Sondheim, in general, is not easy, and even though the YTL cast might have wavered here and there, they showed great mastery of the work overall.
Daren Prescott maintained an austere stare as the severe Sweeney Todd and flexed his vocal muscles throughout the show. My only wish is that he had had a British accent, like the rest of the ensemble. It reminded me of Kevin Costner’s portrayal of Robin Hood, the only actor to play the part without a British accent. Johnny Depp may have sounded like he was impersonating himself, a la Captain Jack Sparrow with his slight cockney accent as Todd, but at least he had an accent.
Mia Mercado was simply marvelous as the quirky Mrs. Lovett. Mercado had great comedic timing and seemed confident singing Lovett’s very (very) difficult songs.
Winston Peacock was wonderful as Todd’s opposing barber Adolfo Pirelli. Peacock has a beautiful voice that was supplemented with some very scary razor work during the number “The Contest.” It was in this number that my neighboring audience member groaned with discomfort believing that the blade was real.
The entire ensemble deserves much credit for their frosty presentation. The production had a consistent mood, no one appeared out of place and everyone presented Sondheim’s classic well.
Doing popular drama is a challenge, especially when the production was recently made into a major motion picture. It is up to the director to either do the show that everyone knows or adapt the show to create something new. Director Christi Prescott mixed the style of the recent Tim Burton film with the original Broadway version, creating a production that would please old and new fans of the show. Costumes reflected both styles, while characters took on the eccentric nature of the Broadway version, but stage blocking emulated the recent film.
The outlandish characters provide humor in this somber production, but this was overshadowed in the Burton's film, as he sought a much darker approach. A friend that attended the show with me never cared for Burton’s film version, but found himself whole-heartedly laughing at the zany characters in YTL’s production.
“It’s much better on stage,” he said. And, indeed, it was a truly noteworthy show.
“Sweeney Todd” runs through Oct. 25 at Yucaipa Little Theatre. Visit www.yucaipalittletheatre.com for details.
