A Musical Fright
-Jessica Sturla

Looking for something that’s funny but chilling at the same time? Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, is just the right thing for you. Conveniently it’s playing at ACT in San Francisco, just a BART ride away.

The story of Sweeney Todd (played by David Hess) is both dark and chilling with a musical twist. It’s is about a barber who just came back to the town where his wife and daughter were taken away. He asks to rent the second story room just above a pie shop that hasn’t had business in a long time. When the barber’s first customer comes in for a shave, he seems to get exactly what his asking for…and maybe a little bit more.

Sweeney kills his customer because he feels the need for revenge on everyone for taking his family away from him. After the murder Sweeney and the pie shop owner, Mrs. Lovett (played by Judy Kaye), quickly figure out what to do with the body. They come up with a chilling solution, to grind the body and make meat for the meat pie shop. While this may sound gross, the actors make it funny by singing a song about the different types of pies there are according to the people.

Last Tuesday the drama club went to see this theatrical masterpiece. Sweeney Todd had a talented cast that made the show unforgettable. These actors, most of which had been on Broadway multiple times, were not only amazing actors and singers, but they also played their own instruments.

It was a refreshing change from the common musical with orchestras. This production has its’ own actors playing the instruments while on stage. This drowned out the actors at times and made it hard to hear them, but at the same time was extremely impressive.

If you are into theatre or musicals or just are curious I definitely recommend Sweeney Todd for you. Don’t worry if you don’t catch the onstage version, there is a movie staring Johnny Depp coming out in December. Stay Tuned!