Joe Kourieh

Arts & Features Editor

Sweeney grows bored of Mrs. Lovett’s swooning as he plots revenge on his nemesis Judge Turpin.

Perhaps the darkest, bloodiest weekend in DPAC’s history came recently as The Hilltop Players performed their latest musical: “Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Originally created as a musical in 1979 by famed playwright and composer Stephen Sondheim, “Sweeney Todd” tells the story of a bellicose barber on a maniacal hunt for revenge in the slums of 19th-century London.

Sweeney, formerly known as Benjamin Barker prior to his false arrest and exile to Australia, returns to his hometown with a new alias and a fresh lust for blood. His main target is Judge Turpin, the villainous judge who stole his bride and sent him away to die.

Sweeney, who was played by freshman Peter Sargent, embarks on this gloriously gruesome quest for vengeance assisted, and often impeded accidentally, by a bizarre group of anti-heroes, including the upbeat lover boy Anthony Hope (freshman Kyle Collins), the sweet-heartedly cannibalistic Mrs. Lovett (junior Meghan Earle), and the innocent – but eventually homicidal – Tobias (junior Terrence O’Kane). What ensues is a forebodingly blithesome bloodbath, dark in nature but with no short supply of liveliness and humor.

Hilltop’s incarnation of the classic musical was co-directed by junior Lenell Wyman and sophomore Geoffrey Ducharme, and produced by junior fashion design major Caitlin Feeney.

After the show, Ducharme commented that he was “very impressed with the cast.

“I had complete faith in them,” he said.

Despite some slight sound issues at certain moments, brought on mostly by Sargent’s enraged in-character shouting, the cast captured perfectly the intended tone and resonance of the show – British accents included.

About this regional vocal necessity, Earle said, “I had to learn to do a Cockney accent my senior year of high school because I tried out for ‘My Fair Lady’ so it was easy to slip back into, thankfully. … It was also a ton of fun to do. I actually find myself saying silly things in her accent from time to time.”

The cast belted out the full range of “Sweeney Todd’s” well-known soundtrack, all the way from eerie reveries like “No Place Like London” and “My Friends” to the comically one-sided love song “By the Sea.”

Perhaps the most outrageous musical number of all was “The Contest,” a sequence which had sophomore Christopher Hajeck sporting a mock Italian accent and hitting frightening highs while portraying Sweeney’s rival barber Signor Pirelli – a performance which certainly entertained listeners in the auditorium and beyond.

Of being cast as this type of outlandish character, Hajeck said, “It seems to be a trend for me.”

Several scenes later, Pirelli is dispatched by Sweeney and sent offstage to be cooked into a meat pie – a fate that Hajeck admitted some enjoyment toward.

“I got to die. So I got to do homework backstage,” he joked.

The show’s musical numbers were distinguished not only by the quality of the cast’s vocals, but also by the accompaniment of a live pit band. This idea for live music during the show was implemented with great success in last semester’s showing of “Chicago,” and revived this time around.

The orchestral accompaniment for “Sweeney Todd” consisted of a pianist, who also conducted the band, an organ, a viola, a cello, a flute, two clarinets, a bassoon, an oboe, a trumpet, a trombone, a violin and drums.

The Music Director of the show was senior fashion major Jacquelyn Johnston, who commented on how difficult it was to find all of the necessary musicians. In order to locate them all, ads were placed at Berklee College of Music, New England College, Boston University and other local schools.

“‘Sweeney Todd’ is probably the most difficult musical you can do, and musically, it is practically an opera,” Johnston said. “All the musicians did an amazing job and worked extremely hard even though we never had a rehearsal with the full pit orchestra, or even a rehearsal space, and the first time we all came together was on opening show night, which was a huge challenge. Although the show was extremely tough, I absolutely love the music, and it is one of my favorite musicals.

“Cues for singers and the operatic ranges in the ensemble numbers were extremely tough,” she said. “But I feel as though everyone in Hilltop worked extremely hard to pull together an awesome show, especially since the ensemble is such a key part to the musical.”

Of the performance, Sargent said, “I think it went pretty well – as well as expected…. The cast is pretty incredible – some of the best people I’ve ever worked with.”

Sargent related how his past experience with the stage helped prepare him for the lead role.

“I wasn’t really nervous,” he said. “I just kind of went with it. I’ve done this before.”

O’Kane described how he enjoyed being able to play as bizarre a character as Tobias.

“Tobias is one of my favorite roles I’ve ever played,” he said. “It was an honor to play such a role. He’s a crazy dude.”

O’Kane said that the show was “so much fun!” He also commended the entirety of Hilltop on being able to take on such a famous musical.

“‘Sweeney Todd’ is a complicated show,” he said. “But the production staff and cast that we had were able to work with the limited resources and pull together to create a fantastic show. It was a truly wonderful experience!”

Earle said that “taking on a famous show didn’t really change how [she] prepared.

“I guess it probably made me push myself a little harder because I knew there were high expectations,” she added.

Sophomore Alison Schwartz, who was part of the “Sweeney Todd” ensemble, said, “The cast grew together into a real community, which supported each other. It’s really impressive that the show was completely student-run, and everyone – the production staff, cast, crew and musicians – worked so hard to make it a success.”

After the show, Feeney said, “I am so proud of the whole cast and everyone else!”

“Sweeney Todd” ends with many of the main characters dead or driven mad – a grim ending for a grim story. However, there was nothing grim about the cast and crew’s abilities. Rather, with skill and enthusiasm, The Hilltop Players once again invited the FSU community to attend a mark of their performing talents, and, as they hauntingly chanted throughout the show, “attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.”