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Ex-convict Benjamin Barker
comes back to London as Sweeney Todd (Jett Pangan) to look for his wife and
daughter as well as exact revenge on Judge Turpin (Andrew Fernando), who framed
him up for a crime he didn’t commit in an effort to steal his wife. Pie maker
Mrs. Lovett (Lea Salonga) welcomes him back to the area and helps in setting up
his barbershop, which quickly becomes popular because of his superb skills.
Unbeknownst to many, Todd and Lovett have formed a criminal partnership wherein
he slits the throats of his customers, many of them men who did him wrong in
the past, before dropping them down a trapdoor leading to her bake shop where
their bodies are minced and used as the key ingredient in her mouth-watering meat
pies. With the help of sailor Anthony Hope (Gerald Santos) who finds Barker’s
daughter Johanna (Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante), Todd will not stop until he gets his
revenge and his family back.
The only comparison I can
think of is a faint recollection of the film from Tim Burton and friends, which
isn’t much. The production takes advantage of Solaire’s spacious stage and presents
a dystopic reimagining with the likes of broken cars hanging from the ceiling. A
red pick-up truck serves as the all-around stage for both Todd and Lovett,
manually pushed around and rotated by the ensemble to depict either motion or
montage. Add the full orchestra and your audio-visual needs end up more than satisfied.
I’ve only seen Salonga onstage
once, but God of Carnage wasn’t a musical. This is the first time I’m hearing
her sing live. There’s obviously nothing left to prove, and her performance
lends the world-class caliber the production needs. Pangan has been frequenting
the local theater scene lately and never fails to deliver as far as vocal
prowess is concerned. The way he hits and sustains his notes effectively
complements Salonga’s West End vocal chops and hearing them sing together is literally
music for the ears.
As for the supporting cast,
Castro offers solid vocal support as the Beggar Woman, while the rest tend to
have some minor inconsistencies as far as accent is concerned. While Salonga
goes full-on Cockney and believably so, Pangan’s accent seems to be a confused
mix that sounds far from British. Santos, on the other hand, seems to be
holding back in his singing, which can be dismissed as just part of the
characterization for his solos. However, his voice almost fades in the
background when he sings the duets.
Bradshaw-Volante also does not
shine that much here as Johanna, coming from the heels of her spotlight-hogging
turn as Cynthia Weil in Beautiful. She sings beautifully, no doubt, but the
character just comes off as annoying and rather dull. In the end, maybe it’s
just the way the character is written? It is perhaps Luigi Quesada as Tobias who
steals the show thanks to his convincing portrayal of the simpleton who finds
solace as well as an unlikely mother figure in Mrs. Lovett. Their “Not While I’m Around”
duet is just so full of heart.
As for the storyline, well it
is a tragedy. The premise itself already hints on a not-so-happy ending. Poetic
justice at its best, perhaps? Besides, all of those characters appear to be
doomed from the very beginning that there seems to be no other way to redeem
them than to conclude their misery the way it is done here. The production design
jives well with the darkness of the material and the gloomy beats of its soundtrack
is just the perfect companion to support this musical’s overall pessimistic tone.
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