MUSKET has once again accomplished an amazing performance. The singing acting and set were as amazing as they have been for most of their other performances. I could blather on about the amazing skills of everyone involved, but I don’t think that will accomplish anything (though I will say more at the end of this review). Instead, I will focus on the interesting creative liberty that the director took with the story.
This change was the addition of a framing device at the beginning of the story. Instead of telling it like a period piece, they chose to turn it into a story that a group of individuals is telling to one another after breaking into Sweeney Todd’s barber shop. There are many advantages to this framing device. It allows the production to be smaller since the actors could perform tasks usually reserved to crew without breaking suspension of belief, there are no set changes since the story is all told in the abandoned barber shop, the costumes are cheap since the actors can wear their own clothes, and it allows the director to add their unique spin to the story without compromising the meaning.
Unfortunately, there are also many disadvantages as well. First, the production felt small. Sondheim musicals are large productions and deserve to be performed that way in order to produce the desired effects in the audience. Next, the audience is left waiting for the transition to period attire. Throughout the beginning of the production, I was waiting until they would transition into period appropriate attire and the real show to start. This served as a large distraction from the otherwise amazing performances. Finally, and most importantly, the change didn’t add anything to the musical. If one wants to make changes to an existing piece, they should be deliberate. They should add emphasis or form a new perspective. This framing device did none of that. It felt somewhat lazily tacked on without much reason.
Ultimately, the performance was an absolute pleasure to see, but the addition of the framing device was useless. Would I recommend it? Absolutely, the performances were spectacular and some people might like the change, but I’d personally prefer to see it how it was meant to be performed. That is my final verdict on the show as a whole, now onto some mindless applause for the performances.
First, bravo on the accents. To my American ear, none of the accents sounded faked or forced. That was really shocking to me. Second, special commendations to Brian Flores playing Tobias Ragg and Noah Weisbart playing Adolpho Pirelli. For me, and my firend, those were the two breakout stars of the production. Weisbart had us laughing and Flores made us sympathetic. Finally, personally, I think the best part was the performance “Not While I’m Around” by Brian Flores and Emma Sohlberg playing Mrs. Lovett. This really was a beautiful performance. They both sounded like they truly cared for one another, while Sohlberg still kept that uneasiness necessary for Mrs. Lovett’s character. It must have been incredibly difficult to accomplish, but it was amazing.
