NEW YORK—The current revival of the 1979 Broadway musical continues at the Barrow Street Theatre but it is a somewhat softer and at times, funnier show than when it first opened, which allows for a more well-rounded, if not always as intense, presentation. The reason? Several important replacements in the cast: Norm Lewis and Carolee Carmello are now in the lead roles.
Sweeney Todd (Lewis) was a once-happy barber in 19th century London until he was arrested on a trumped-up charge and sent to a penal colony in Australia. It was powerful Judge Turpin (Jamie Jackson) who framed him because the judge desired the barber’s wife. Fifteen years later, after having escaped his prison shackles, Todd has returned, seeking to learn the fate of his wife and daughter Johanna (Alex Finke).
Todd finds his former home is now a shop run by the widowed Mrs. Lovett (Carmello). She sells, at her own admission “the worst pies in London.” Recognizing Todd from the old days, Mrs. Lovett explains that his wife took poison after his arrest, while his daughter had become the ward of Judge Turpin. The judge keeps the now-young woman under lock and key with the help of a local constable, Beadle Bamford (Brad Oscar).
Consumed with vengeance, Todd, with Mrs. Lovett’s help, takes up his old trade, all the while planning to get the Judge into his barber’s chair so that he can slit his throat. But before that can happen, Todd is forced to kill Mr. Pirelli (Stacie Bono), who tries to blackmail Todd after learning his identity.
