In its latest production, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” the LOHS thespians brought 18th century London to Lake Oswego in a stunning performance that captivated the audience. Sweeney Todd is a story about a murderous barber, played by senior Rowan Ducker, and a struggling pie-maker named Mrs. Lovett, played by senior Zia Murphy. The two of them work together to avenge the death of his wife and save his daughter Johanna, played by Shea Bamford.
The story first got its fame when it opened on Broadway in 1979 starring Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou. Since then, the story has taken on a life of its own, with a recent revival on Broadway starring Josh Groban and a movie adaptation featuring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter. With music by Stephen Sondheim, the musical is particularly difficult to put on. “High schools don’t do this show because it’s so hard to put together; the music is hard, the acting is hard, it’s really challenging. It’s not normal for high schools to tackle it,” said Murphy.
Not only is the performance itself hard to pull off, but the set design also has to be done perfectly because it’s integral to the storytelling. In fact, the set used by LOHS drama contains components of the original broadway production. “We have a chair that Angela Lansbury has sat in and a high counter that Angela Lansbury has carved her name into,” said Ducker. Another important piece of the set design is the barber’s chair, which launches characters down a shoot when Sweeney Todd pulls a lever. In regards to the chair, “It’s fun,” Ducker said. “People get sent down a trapdoor very fast and it’s honestly quite dangerous,” he added.
The trapdoor scenes were nothing short of entertaining. Cast members did a fantastic job of playing dead as they plunged down the shoot and launched out of the structure. Along with the trapdoor, there was a large rolling building on stage, used to add contrast between scenes. These pieces contributed to one of the most complex set designs LOHS has ever used. Ducker and other actors balancing precariously on the set piece as it spun around made for an entertaining and technically challenging performance.
The show is set in London and consists of a lot of fast-paced singing and yelling. Cast members had to protect their voices in the weeks preceding opening night. Ducker explained that “it’s very demanding vocally. Most of the show is singing and there are really hard songs. It’s a lot of yelling so we’ve had to be very careful.”
Cast members are also responsible for conveying the plot clearly, which gets difficult when speaking quickly in English accents. Murphy stressed that “we can’t miss a beat or people won’t be able to follow. There’s so much pressure on us to tell the story so you guys [the audience] actually understand it because that’s the whole point.” From the audience perspective, while some details got lost in the shuffle, the major plot points were expressed well enough.
After months of hard work, the musical came together to be one of the most impressive productions LOHS has ever put on. The talent and chemistry displayed on stage was truly a testament to the hard work and creativity of the theater department.
