Courtesy of Portland Center Stage
Portland Center Stage’s autumn production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” was made memorable by its dynamic set, spirited choreography and casual derangement. Portland is, in and of itself, a theatrical, flamboyant, artistic city — all qualities that align with the industry and production of theater. Regardless, the musical had a distinctly Portland feel to it.
Perhaps it was the blend of 19th century costumery with the modern day, alternative, gothic fashion, leather corsets, bodices and skirts adorned with punk-rock-esque silver chains, that we see so often in the streets of Rose City. Perhaps it was the gender nonconformity, the cross-dressing in the great majority of scenes and the drag-like performance of Delphon “DJ” Curtis Jr. as Mrs. Lovett that was reminiscent of Portland’s lively LGBTQIA+ scene. Or perhaps it was the original oddity of the plot and subject matter written by Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim back in 1979 that aligned well with Stumptown’s motto which is: Keep Portland Weird.
The lighting was well-planned and played a large role in creating the spooky atmosphere that a play like “Sweeney Todd” necessitates. The first act began with a slowly flickering street lamp that set the mood for Fleet Street — spooky, suspenseful and ominous. The use of strobe lights during climactic moments, and the selection of Halloween-like color schemes (purples, greens, oranges and reds) throughout different scenes highlighted the seasonality of this production. It was the perfect way to kick start Halloweekend.
The lighting also accented each section of the elaborate, rotating, multi level wooden set in the center of the stage — helping the audience to easily distinguish between different scenes and locations: Mrs. Lovett’s meat pie shop, the haunted flat upstairs, the foyer and the bakehouse below. Peripheral set structures making up the buildings of Fleet Street also rotated on and offstage during scene transitions, completely transforming the audience’s view in only a few seconds. The set was impressively constructed and ensured a series of smooth, visually appealing scene transitions.
The choreography contributed significantly to the overall spooky mood of the musical. In the opening scene, the titular Sweeney Todd is introduced. The choreography for the group on stage, and particularly for him, was very zombie-esque, with staggering steps, abrupt movements and suspenseful delivery. This zombie like choreography highlighted a few other scenes throughout the musical, and served as a fun little reminder that Halloween is right around the corner. Curtis’ choreography as Mrs. Lovett and Leah Yorkston’s choreography as the Beggar Woman were both consistently entertaining — both displayed impeccable comedic timing, dramatic flairs and raunchy moments that were always meet with a laughing audience.
Some of the most entertaining and ridiculous parts of the show were the sudden, forceful bursts of ostentatious organ music during scene transitions and dramatic and suspenseful moments. The organ music came out of nowhere, startled the audience, dramatized the scene and then promptly disappeared. Organist Mak Kastelic was instrumental in creating the creepy, frightfully fantastic Halloween-themed mood.
Overall, Portland Center Stage’s production of “Sweeney Todd” was awesome. As it progressed, it became increasingly, casually and sophisticatedly demented — in the best way possible. It was delightfully disturbing, well executed (pun intended) and ripe with fantastic comedic delivery, spirited flamboyancy, spontaneous derangement and tremendous panache.
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