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"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece.
And like every great piece of theater, it can be staged in different ways to shine a new light on the work and reflect a different era.
In 2005, director John Doyle totally reimagined "Sweeney," internalizing it more by setting it in a claustrophobic insane asylum and turning the 10-member cast into the orchestra.
Sound crazy? Maybe so, but as the national touring production here Tuesday night proved, it works.
The traditional show had lots of bells and whistles, as it told the story from the old penny dreadful books of the Victorian era.
It was a show you were totally absorbed in, but watched from afar.
Sweeney was a barber who'd been falsely accused of a crime by a lecherous judge who wanted his wife and child.
Seeking revenge, he returns to his old haunts on Fleet Street and meets up with Mrs. Lovett, an enterprising neighbor who happily becomes his partner in crime.
That crime is murdering customers who have the misfortune of walking into his shop for a shave. Mrs. Lovett puts them into her meat pies, which sell like crazy, turning her into a "respectable businesswoman."
Meanwhile, Sweeney's daughter, Johanna, who is being forced to marry the evil Judge Tarpin, falls for Anthony, a sailor who befriended Sweeney.
Through the lurid murders, a sentimental romance flows throughout the score. (Has Sondheim written a prettier song than "Johanna?")
Far from lessening the impact of the music, the pared down orchestra of actors enhances it.
Obviously, it's not easy getting a cast that can handle it all, but tour director Adam John Hunter sure did find a great one.
Carrie Cimma's powerhouse performance is the standout in a show filled with them. She gives the cheery Mrs. Lovett a flashy and irresistible exterior and a complex interior.
Unlike most Mrs. Lovetts she looks to be in her 20s and the sexual chemistry between her and Sweeney adds even more complexity to the story.
Merritt David Janes' Sweeney is a knockout, too. He's got a stunning bass voice and the passion and internalized fury to make Sweeney more than a monster.
Neither of the leads plays too many instruments (though Cimma plays a wicked triangle). That job is on the shoulders of the supporting players and they are amazing.
Wendy Muir's Johanna and Duke Anderson's Anthony are a sad, lovely couple as they play their cellos. And they both have gorgeous voices.
Patty Lohr is the beggar woman, who wanders around the stage warning everyone about a city on fire, her clarinet an extended part of her character.
I felt the Judge (David Alan Marshall) didn't exude enough evilness, though his trumpet playing was well done. That foreboding quality was also lacking in the Beadle (Bob Bohon), who does the judge's dirty business for him. But he is a devil at the keyboards.
Chris Marchant's Tobias is an innocent who gets caught up in the corruption of the world around him. He's a triple threat, playing keyboards, clarinet and violin.
And Ruthie Ann Miles makes an impact playing accordion, keyboards and flute and having fun with the flamboyant Pirelli, Sweeney's first victim.
Rounding out the cast, and mostly staying in the musical background is bass player Matt Cusack.
If you've never seen "Sweeney," this production might confuse you a bit. But if you have, you'll be reminded just what a masterpiece it is.
"Sweeney Todd" runs through Sunday at the Hershey Theatre, 15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey.
Staff writer Jane Holahan can be reached at jholahan@LNPnews.com or 481-6016.
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