TheatreBloom

The history of the world, my sweet, is who gets eaten and who gets to eat! But fortunately it’s also clear— that everybody goes down well with beer! And a side of ECT. Or at least that’s what’s being served up as Vagabond Players kicks off their 111^th season this fall with their innovative and visionary new production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Directed by Stephen Foreman and TJ Lukacsina, with Musical Direction by Dave Foley, this iconic Sondheim bloodbath musical is the quintessential staple for spooky season, of that there is no doubt. Seldom does it turn up in such a way that wholly reinvents the conceptual lens whilst simultaneously staying true to both lyrics and libretto; this production does all of that and a good bit more.

Truthfully, when you walk into the theatre you might wonder— like I did— if there was a last-minute change of programing or perhaps you simply arrived at the wrong venue. Because when one generally arrives for a production of Sweeney Todd, Victorian-era London or at least the festering and moldering streets thereof are what one expects to see. Not here. Scenic Designer and Co-Director Stephen Foreman has stripped back the cobblestones, gasworks lampposts and brick buildings for this sterile and eerily unsettling white tile; the austere, sanitized verve of which screams ‘asylum.’ Full disclosure, it looks and feels and reads like they’re about to stage a production of Cuckoo’s Nest, which is an unsettling sentiment in and of itself, especially as the mind starts whirling and turning— how the heck is this going to work and is it merely aesthetic overlay or fully-formed conceptualization? It’s the latter in spades and it’s remarkably impressive.

Foreman’s monochromatic set— complete with the necessary levels for the iconic ‘above-the-pie-shop’ room which eventually evolves into Sweeney Todd’s tonsorial parlor, featuring a signature slide-release chair— primes the imagination and invites you down the distorted rabbit hole that he and Co-Director TJ Lukacsina have fabricated for this production. It’s unhinged to say the least but it works. Now the real tricky part here is in describing their brilliance without giving away the true epiphany of what you’re watching. They set the characters in such a way— white lab coats, straight jackets, asylum clothing, etc. (and mad shoutout to Costume Designer Gabby Lascadre working in tandem with Hair & Makeup/Wigmaster Penelope Chan)— that their duality of being ‘in the asylum realm’ and of the Sondheim narrative are one in the same. It has a fond reminiscence of Miguel de Cervantes at the top of La Mancha in the sense that these real-life asylum figures recognize that they are who they are in their own reality before melding seamlessly into the Sweeney Todd story. It’s a fascinating approach, flawlessly executed and clever beyond compare because of what can be or is implied about what you’re actually witnessing. You get setup from the jump that it’s Toby’s…for lack of more conclusive wording let’s say ‘experience’…and based on what you witness, what you know of the tale, and how it all wraps up…you can really draw some disturbing, albeit fascinating conclusions about what is going through Lukacsina and Foreman’s head.

Complimenting Foreman’s hospital-grade sterility and overall black and white scenery— the double entendre there being heavy as nothing in that particular world is truly as black and white as its made out to be— is Lukacsina’s lighting design. It’s subtle. A splash of red here, a floor-up flush of red there. All trigged with exacting timing to highlight and intensify certain moments. Combine that with Chris Uelinger’s projection work, which gets splashed about on the walls, and often sizzles and zaps its way around the entirety of the setting, and you’ve got an electrifying and thrilling visual experience. Blend in Sean DiGiorgio’s Sound Design, which is often cued up with very specific moments in Uelinger’s projection work and you’ve got the most unique concept not only layered overtop but intricately woven throughout a production of Sweeney Todd that I’ve ever witnessed.

There’s subtle nods to the bleed-through of reality in there too. One of the more noticeable ones comes from Prop Master Maeve Koch, with the IV-poll as the base for the Bird Seller’s rig-up. Proper cages with faux birds, yes (and although personally I wanted IV bags with birdies suspended in them, I think balancing it in this way feels right) and you wonder…which reality is the actual reality or as is the case in so many delusions…is reality what you make of it? Just who’s story are you watching? The answer might surprise you in this production; and it’s one of those genius surprises where you find yourself gasping, “how has no one thought to do this before? It makes perfect sense!”

Russell Rinker, Kelly Williams Carlson, Ben Strigle, and Rikki Howie Lacewell (respectively as Fight Choreographer, Intimacy Choreographer, Fight Captain & Dialect Coach, Dance Choreographer) also deserve praises for their work of verisimilitude and cohesiveness with the piece. This team, working under the superb direction of Lukacsina and Foreman has augmented some of the more riveting elements and components of the performance as a whole, making it a gripping journey from start to finish. Sondheim does lengthy; that’s his bit and there’s really no getting around that. But the dream team keeps the pacing flowing without hastily racing through musical numbers; you’re never lacking for momentum or urgency with this musical narrative and that’s a critical component to a successful execution of any stage show, but especially a near-three-hour-long Sondheim. That said, you get through the first act— nearly 90 straight minutes— and feel like you blinked; it’s a damn impressive achievement.

I wanted to say the cast seemed ‘small’ but it’s actually 16 performers? Which is another impressive illusion crafted and completed by Foreman and Lukacsina. And heavily guided by Musical Director Dave Foley (who masterfully conducts a fully invisible orchestra including himself on keys, Mari Hill on reeds, Stephen Kaltreider on French Horn, Noah Nicholson and Jules Russo on cello.) I’ve personally seen Sweeney Todd performed with as few as eight and more than 30 so 16 actually feels like the perfect sweet spot; I say ‘seemed small’ because in the intimate and quaintly cozy stage that is the play space of Vagabond Players, especially with the way the scenery is constructed, it never feels crowded or crunched. Even the claustrophobic ‘Fogg’s Asylum’ scene has measured compression to it so that you don’t feel like you’re squeezing too many people into too confined of a space. That said, this cast produces a sound that is sensational and fills the space all the way out to the cobbles of the square. Foley’s works with the intricately tricky harmonies, blends, and overall notations of Sondheim’s score is stupendous and rich; you’d be hard-pressed to find a better sounding production, particularly when it comes to executing the opening and closing numbers, “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd.” (and again mad props to Foley and Sean DiGiorgio on sound design, Erin Ardanuy on run crew and the two SMs Audra Mullen and Tyler Hart— not one blessed mic out of place. Not one issue!)

There are little moments of staged genius and brilliance reflected all throughout the production. The black scrim to draw a ‘veil of memory’ over “Poor Thing” being one of many that comes to mind. Lukacsina and Foreman also press the performers out into the aisles of the house, not in an obtrusive fourth-wall obliterating fashion but so that you feel like they’re encroaching upon your reality. It’s just a story…isn’t it? You really get that right in your lap when Sweeney leaps out into the house for the late-bridge of “Epiphany” (though that is common practice in productions of this show) it’s done with such effortless awareness— think Eliza Hamilton at the end of “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?” and her gasp— does she see the audience? Does Sweeney Todd in this performance? Is he blurring reality or fully delusional in his own version of it? Fascinating stuff!

The Company is strong with this one. Featuring Heather Ann Bounds, Valerie Dzielski, Brynn Farlow, Allison Farrall, Wilson Seltzer, Macrae Smith, and Ben Strigle you get lusty peals of sound that bellow forth with intensity during every step of their musically narrative journey. Several of them double and triple up in places where you wouldn’t expect— like Farrall as Young Lucy. Though her appearance as such is brief, it’s a harrowing recreation of that experience and you find yourself clutching for stability to watch her engage with it. Wilson Seltzer is another notable voice of power, particularly whenever he has any featured solo lines; the warm rich timbre of his tone carries brilliantly through these moments and almost lulls you into a sense of trust, which helps unsettle you all the more when things unfold the way they do in this tale. Macrae Smith is another one with vocals of similar quality, most noteworthy when it comes to standing out in a good fashion from the crowd. Smith, who doubles as the gravel-voiced revolting Jonas Fogg and Seltzer as they unsavory Bird Seller are two of the most unsettling components that bristle along in the background of this narrative, and that’s saying something, all things considered.

Terriq White as Beadle Bamford becomes the front-runner for villain in this production, surpassing the lecherous Judge Turpin (Michael Bevard) just in the way he moves through the space. There’s something wholly unholy about his existence and when he ‘sends a message’ to Anthony, you’ll feel your spine stiffen in response. There’s two really extraordinary components to White’s performance that simply must be praised— the first being that character-cultivated moment during “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir” wherein he has a background interaction with Toby and it is priceless— make you laugh but also clench your cheeks kind of funny— and the second being his approach to those blasted parlor songs. Ding-freaking-dong, ding-dong. I’d say 90% of the productions of Sweeney Todd I’ve seen, I’m praying desperately to skip through that whole “Parlor Songs” sequence. With White’s phenomenal vocals I actually want all 12-verses and don’t care how many extra minutes that would add to the production. He makes an exceptionally sharp and crips foil to Bevard’s Judge Turpin, who maintains a clear tone, consistent vocality when singing, and compliments White and Sweeney Todd, respectively, with vocal panache when he’s featured in duet with either of them.

It wouldn’t be Sondheim without young lovers and for Sweeney Todd it’s Anthony (Ethan Kehring) and Johanna (Shelly Wiese.) Kehring and Wiese are delivering textbook ingenue parts in their present portrayals, which actually serves as a balancing point to the blurred lines of asylum-based reality in which Foreman and Lukacsina have set this production. You get delicate, albeit bored, winsome sentiment for “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” and the dynamism gets gradually layered in later. Kehring’s twitterpated enthusiasm is gushing out of him for “Look at Me” and his articulation is crisp as an autumn breeze. The pair have an undeniable chemistry that just gels and clicks and when they rattle through “Kiss Me” you get a near flawless recitation of all of those cram-jammed lyrics; it’s quite impressive. Kehring’s Anthony gets more opportunity to showcase temper and true emotional growth, Wiese does what the strictures of the character allow for and has a solid voice, which makes for a delight, especially when she’s encountered inside Fogg’s Asylum.

An oft overlooked ‘background’ style character, The Beggar Woman, played by the fiery and feisty Danae Nick, feels like she features more in this production. But that might just be because she’s so bold and unabashedly afraid to delve hog wild into the garish side of her sexuality when it comes to attempting to prostitute herself on the street, particularly up against Anthony and Sweeney Todd. Nick has a sublime voice and when she drifts out through the house, rattling her alms can with that echoing cry of beggary, it’s like listening to a ghost wuthering along the way; it’s very chilling and serves as a delectable contrast to her almost rancid poke-about when she’s slashing and gnashing at Anthony and Sweeney.

One would assume that with the sterile, monochromatic approach to scenery and costumes that when the great, renowned Adolfo Pirelli finally appears on the stage, the illusion of black and white would be shattered with some meretricious costume accoutrements. Think. Again. Knowing full well that casting Matt Wetzel in this role would be all of the over-the-top needed to create such an illusion, it’s a refreshing surprise to see Wetzel’s character arrive in monochromatic synchronicity— even his show poster is black and white— though he not without an outrageously oversized mustache. Wetzel radiates talent from every angle, be it his physicality and the way he flits fleetly about the stage or his vocality and the absurd falsetto that he carries off before bounding right back into that robust and giving tenor sound which gets flawlessly executed during “The Contest.” And Wetzel’s capability to flip accents on a dime is astonishing; strong, overly exaggerated Italian to— well, let’s not give it away. Suffice it to say it’s an impeccable flip and really slices through the guise. See if you can catch Wetzel at the top of the show, before he morphs into the Pirelli track, when the ‘setup’ is happening… it totally gives “inmates running the asylum” vibes.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve seen over a dozen different Sweeney Todds in my time. And while one never compares, this is truly the first time I have ever seen the character of Tobias Ragg (played incomparably by Deacon Withers) feature so prominently, so much so that you start to wonder who’s story you’re watching. It’s half Foreman & Lukacsina, what they’ve conceptualized, what they’ve imparted, what they’ve directed, and half Withers and his ability to take that concept and run it to fruition. The way Withers haunts and stalks the background in scenes where his character is— let’s phrase it as ‘inactive’— is as disturbing as any psychological thriller I can recall in recent history. And the sharp juxtaposition of recollective/tortured Toby up against lively bubbly ‘in-play’ Toby is wild ride to behold. Fit with the accent, the vocals, the physicality, and the overall sense of being both younger and older— younger than he actually is, older perhaps than the character should be save for his circumstances— Withers delivers a striking performance; it’s sensational. His interactions with all the different characters are bespoke to the level of trust given and you witness that most keenly with Mrs. Lovette. Withers carries the insidious cheer of “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir” and really drives home the spooky factor behind “Not While I’m Around” which cements his determination into his overriding fears; it’s brilliant.

And when it comes to brilliant, you’ve got an effervescent eruption of cordial chaos pouring forth with great pluck and solid tenacity in AnnaBelle Auguste’s Mrs. Lovette. The versatility, the mercuriality, the intensity— you want to bottle this woman up and put her on repeat. Watch her closely during “Not While I’m Around” the way she lets Mrs. Lovette flirt with the demons embedded in that number is the most delectable type of torture. If you know how the story goes, you’ll be sore that the impulse-choice that looks like it’s about to happen doesn’t actually happen, she makes you that invested! There’s a calculatedly misleading spark of irreverence about Auguste’s Lovette, a little nod the OG-Angela Lansbury but wholly her own in this stellar fashion. Because Auguste is calculating and conniving right from the beginning and you can see it, though very, very subtly, first in her facial expressions, then in her movement and body language, before it penetrates and consumes the whole of her character. There is a zest to the way she gushes into “The Worst Pies in London” and that is no simple number with all the rhythmic shifts. Auguste nails it. Hands down. Or…rolling pins down. The cheeky shared nature during “A Little Priest” is so exquisite you’ll be salivating at her antics, played to perfection off of Sean Hogan’s Sweeney Todd. And she’s over the top in the most exuberantly gayful way possible for “By the Sea” with sublime vocals that alight upon her each and every number.

It’s actually impossible to tell what’s more fascinating and intriguing to watching— the way AnnaBelle Auguste is escaping on the Delulu Train for “By the Sea” or the nonplussed ‘how-the-hell-did-I-get-here’ reactions from Hogan’s Sweeney during that same number. As the titular character, Hogan plays the eponymous demon as a being with a festering mind, misunderstood and done wrong, waiting for the moment where the oozing infection of a scorned soul can leech out and exact revenge. It’s a sinful experience to behold because you’re cheering for his heinous success. Prime vocals, perfect spatial relationships to scenery, characters, and overall presence of existence, and a flawless sense of emotional drive, Hogan is delivering a Sondheim dream when it comes to his interpretation of Sweeney. And you hear that plainly in “Epiphany.” Hogan is riveting, particularly when he’s still. Watch him during “Poor Thing”, the way he hangs on Lovette’s every word until he hits his breaking point, or the smoldering build-up that super-charges its way through “Pretty Women” a duet shared with Bevard’s Judge Turpin. And there’s just menacing, perpetual flame skulking through his facial expressions, coursing through his existence, when he sings, when he speaks, when shifts; it’s brutally beautiful. Magnificent doesn’t begin to describe his performance, particularly when paired off against Auguste’s Lovette.

Do as they say— attend the tale. There’s so much nuance, brilliance, innovating happening, all threaded seamlessly through the extraordinary talent of this cast of 16; running through the middle of November, you won’t want to miss this radiant Sondheim gem.  

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes with one intermission

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street plays through November 15^th 2026 at Vagabond Players— located in the heart of Fells Point: 806 S. Broadway in Baltimore, MD. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (410) 563-9135 in advance online.