‘Sweeney Todd’ brings music, gore to the Auditorium

Barber knives gleaned and blood dripped on the stage of the IU Auditorium Tuesday and Wednesday with the musical presentation of “Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Students, faculty and families packed the house both nights to see the musical performance of only 10 cast members who portrayed the infamous legend of the murderous barber, Sweeney Todd, and his mistress, Mrs. Lovett.

From the original adaptation by Christopher Bond, the musical tells a tale of a barber named Benjamin Barker who returns to London after having been sent away by an evil judge who lusted after Barker’s wife.

Upon his return 15 years later, he learns his wife committed suicide, and the judge took his young daughter. As he grieves his losses, he vows to avenge his family by killing his customers and cooking them in Lovett’s meat pies.

“The audience just loved it,” IU Auditorium Events Manager Maria Talbert said. From the comments she received during intermission and after Tuesday’s show, the audience thought it was phenomenal, she said.

There was a man in the audience who said he had seen the performance four times and this was the best one yet, Talbert said.

Not only did the cast members perform their roles, but they served as musicians in the orchestra pit as well. Nineteen pieces were performed in act one, with eight in the second. Every cast member was on the stage at all times, with minimal costume changes during intermission.

When the characters were not singing or acting their parts, they were playing the musical numbers. Merritt David Janes, who played the character Sweeney Todd, played up to four instruments during the performance, while Carrie Cimma’s character, Mrs. Lovett, played three instruments during the show.

“It was almost magical that so much energy and passion came from just 10 people on stage,” freshman Andrea Wolf said.

The cast not only delivered powerful music, but humor and tragedy as well. Mrs. Lovett was able to bring comic relief to the audience throughout the entire show. Romance, revenge and greed were main themes in the story line.

The show was an entertaining mix of comedy, terror and life lessons, Wolf said.

After the show, a group of about 200 students from RPS and Hutton Honors College joined the cast and crew for a curtain talk.

“We really try hard for the cast to interact with the students,” Talbert said.

The Auditorium aims to reach out and bring the programs closer to students, Talbert said.

The musical had many popular songs, such as “The Barber and His Wife” and “The Worst Pies in London.”

The best part of the entire musical, freshman Stephanie Reninger said, was the music because it connects with the audience.

“You feel the emotion, not just hear it,” she said. “You’re part of the story.”