If your barber lives on Fleet Street, take heed, as he might just be a throat slitting, vengeance-filled maniacal murderer out to kill anyone who dares sit in his chair.
And if your favourite meat pies are delivered by a crazy-eyed woman who refuses to show you her oven, take note, because you might just be eating your priest or a royal marine or perhaps even a gentle piccolo player.
These are just a couple of lessons audience members learned last weekend during the Jasper Junior/Senior High School’s rendition of Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
The dark musical was directed by Grade 12 students Alys Thomas and Elena Kellis, both of whom also performed in the play.
Kellis gave a stunning performance as Sweeney Todd’s landlady, love interest and partner in crime, taking on Mrs. Lovett’s crazed jealousy and playful wittiness with effortless ease.
Her co-star, Danny Handford—who was imported from Edson—was her perfect match, convincingly playing the twisted, heartbroken Sweeney Todd as though he intimately understood his character’s deranged mentality.
Together, the duo created an infectious energy, as they sang of killing men, turning them into delicious meat pies and feeding them to unsuspecting customers.
“The history of the world, my sweet,” sings Lovett, “What does it tell? Who gets eaten, and who gets to eat.”
Although the play centres around the exploits on Fleet Street, parallelling the story of Todd and Lovett is also a much softer love story, performed by Simon Golla and Kiersten Polard.
While out for a stroll, Anthony Hope—impeccably played by Golla—catches a glimpse of a beautiful woman who’s singing to the birds from a perch on her windowsill.
The woman is Sweeney Todd’s daughter, Johanna, beautifully played by Polard. At a young age, Johanna was stolen away by Judge Turpin (Cheyenne Henderson), who keeps her as his prisoner, with hopes of marrying her one day.
At the sight of her, Hope’s heart is immediately gripped and he’s turned into a love-struck Romeo, determined to free his love from the confines of her cell.
The chemistry between Golla and Polard was as powerful as that between Kellis and Handford.
Overall, the musical was a resounding success, bringing to life a dark tale not often seen on a high school stage.
Nicole Veerman
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