Sweeney Todd will be running at the Eureka until August 11. Given that the theatre was hot and stuffy to boot, it was a long, uncomfortable evening. However, so much of the sound was lost, that the venue just didn’t do them – or any other cast member – justice. Conrad Frank was a pompously uproarious beadle with a spot-on sense of the physicality of the role. However, this was obvious only when he sang from the apron. His nuanced delivery, delicious phrasing, and sensitive lingering at the ends of particular phrases made it obvious that the audience was in the hands of master. Physically, Adam Scott Campbell makes a masterful Sweeney Todd. It is based on the 1973 play of the same name by Christopher Bond. What made this particularly unfortunate was this appeared to be an otherwise excellent production. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Memorabilia Available Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (often referred to simply as Sweeney Todd) is a 1979 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler. WATCH: “My” world premiere performance in ‘Upright Grand’ at TheatreWorks (Video) The bottom line however, is that you never want to be having these conversations during intermission. Given that the ramped seating was at less of an angle than in other equally-sized venues, perhaps the actors’ voices hit the wall of bodies in the first rows, and never made it further back. Sound quality improved when the four people in sitting in front of me left after intermission. These aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, but I rather suspect that it was the latter. Things were somewhat better when the actors stood on the edges of the apron of the stage – and curiously, when they were singing from a somewhat crouched position.ĭuring intermission, the audience fell into two camps – those who insisted that the sound issues were due to the musicians playing too loudly, and those who opined that acoustics were to blame. Despite my excellent seats in the center of the seventh row, the sound loss was so extreme that about half the lyrics were incomprehensible. Sweeney Todd relies on quick, witty lyrics that need to be heard to be appreciated. People in the audience should never have to spend an entire show wondering what about a venue’s acoustics makes sound disappear. However, creating a good production also demands a venue with sufficiently good acoustics that the audience can appreciate the enormously hard work of cast and crew. This production seemed to have all of these. Many things go into making a good production, not the least of which are casting, acting, lighting design, sound design, script, set design and others. However, the production proffered by Ray of Light Theatre at the Eureka Theatre, unfortunately, is not the place to start. If you’ve never seen it before, I urge you to take it in. Even people who loathe musicals are often quick to make exception for this Sondheim work.
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