To celebrate its 40-year anniversary, East West Players revisits one of its most successful past productions. In 1994 the company presented a breathtaking small-stage production that brought multiple awards and national recognition. The current production, directed now as it was then by Tim Dang, uses the more familiar Industrial Revolution approach created by original director Hal Prince rather than repeating the previous, more Asian-influenced one.
Opening night offered mixed levels of success in this Tony-winning tale of a revenge-obsessed barber (Ronald M. Banks) and his enterprising partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett (Marilyn Tokuda), who convinces him to use the victims of his deadly razor as the tasty main ingredient in her homemade meat pies. Vocally, Sweeney Todd is a tremendously demanding show, and the strength demonstrated by the cast in the powerful opening ultimately proved to be unsustainable for some. Tokuda's Mrs. Lovett is particularly problematic in her volume and occasionally her pitch. As Anthony Hope, the sailor smitten with Sweeney's imprisoned daughter, Johanna (Jennifer Jung), Timothy Ford Murphy demonstrates a lovely voice but struggles with endurance. Ditto Samuel Chen as naive ragamuffin Toby.
Musical pacing, too, tends to drag in places. And some songs that need to build and soar, such as the Johanna-Anthony duet "Kiss Me" and its counterpoint, "Ladies in Their Sensitivities," sung by the smug Beadle (Lito Villareal) and the lascivious Judge (a creepily effective Ray A. Rochelle), don't have the power to reach such heights.
Despite these setbacks, which may well resolve themselves during the run, there are satisfying moments of brilliance. Leading the way is Banks' beautifully voiced Sweeney, all grotesquely tortured soul and focused simmering rage. Audience favorite Antoine Reynaldo Diel shines as the competitive blackmailing barber Pirelli, and Kathy Villanueva's Beggar Woman makes an impressive showing. Strong ensemble vocals help fill the gaps left by weaker individual performances.
Rand Ryan's superb lighting design uses shadows and bold sharp angles to heighten the melodramatic nature of the show. Scenic designer John Binkley uses a central turntable unit to house multiple locations, which is flanked by a pair of metal circular staircases that give necessary added levels to the playing space. And Ivy Chou's costuming is wonderfully precise.
Presented by East West Players at the David Henry Hwang Theater, Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aiso St., L.A. Thu.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 & 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. Feb. 8-Mar. 5. (213) 625-7000, ext. 20.