Zoetic Stage’s innovative production of Sweeney Todd plays through Sunday April 7 at the Adrienne Arsht Center

SHADE-O-METER RATING

4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”

What’s Sweeney Todd? It’s a musical with words and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The show is produced by the local production company, Zoetic Stage, and it’s staged at Carnival Studio Theater. What’s the Carnival Studio Theater? It’s the black box space at the Adrienne Arsht Center. It’s hold about 250 people. How was the venue? It’s a nice, intimate space. There’s not a bad seat in the house.

How was the parking? The venue has valet parking, of course, but that appears to be a production. There’s always a long line. There’s a parking lot right across the street, where it costs $20 to park. Strangely, all the times we’ve been there, the lot was half empty. Does the venue serve liquor? They have a small bar. How were the drinks? A white wine was $11. It was fine. Does the venue serve food? They have a few types of candy and chips. How was the food? We didn’t get any of that. How much were the tickets? $55. Was the show sold out? Almost, but not quite.

How was the show? For those who aren’t aware of the plot, Sweeney Todd is a Victorian melodramatic revenge-tale, where the titular character and his female counterpart, Misses Lovett, get revenge on the society that’s wronged them by cannibalizing the upper crust in meat pies, and secretly feeding them to the lower classes (as noted in one song, “How gratifying for once to know that those above will serve those down below.”). As originally staged by Hal Prince, the production was a metaphor for the destructive nature of the machine, complete with a symbolic representation—a massive industrial set via the Industrial Revolution. Zoetic’s production of the musical was staged in the round, with actors, at times, who were right beside you. Regarding the performers, all were excellent, including Aloysius Gigi, where he seemed at times to exploit the parallels between his own resemblance to Robert Englund (a.k.a., Freddy Krueger) and Todd’s bogeyman persona. And in an interesting twist, the vocally-demanding role of Adolfo Pirelli was was sung—exceptionally so—in man-drag by Kimberly Doreen Burns, the same performer who portrayed the Beggar Woman.

How was the music? The quality and influence of the music from Sweeney Todd is sufficiently well-documented that it would be foolish to comment on it here. Suffice it to say, it’s excellent. How was the set design and staging? If there were a standout in this production, the lighting and stage design would be it. The venue offers full-scale lighting capabilities, and it was obvious that the designer capitalized on that. For instance, as there was no blood in the production, all fell back on red lights that glared at the audience to indicate that a murder had occurred. Regarding the staging, there were odes to experimental theater, such as when the Johanna character walked around with a prison door in from of her to symbolize her institutionalization. Another nice touch was the likely Hamilton-inspired double-rotation stage, or concentric stages, where one stage rotates within another. This convention was most efficiently used to dispose of Sweeney’s victims, where a victim would fall to the floor, only to be dispatched to the back of the stage by a half revolution of the stage.

How was the costume design? The costume design was in-line with the original production. However, I’m familiar with most of the various incantations of Misses Lovett, and I don’t recall her with a hair getup quit like what was presented in this production. Credit should be given for that innovation. How did the audience react? They appeared to like it. Of note, the cast picked an audience member to shave for the song, “The Contest.” What could have improved the show? There were some minor sound issues with the audio for the actor who played Tobias, but it was fixed before the character’s showpiece song, “Not While I’m Around.” Also, some of the audio was either low or muffled at times. However, it wasn’t to the point of distraction. What was surprising about the show? I wasn’t expecting concentric stages. To me, that was a pleasant surprise.

Correction: this review previously noted that the production utilized pre-recorded music. That was an error. The production had an offstage “orchestra” that was comprised of six musicians.

The Carnival Studio Theater is located at the Adrienne Arsht Center at 1300 Biscayne Blvd., in Miami, Florida. The production runs through Sunday April 7. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or on the website.

SHADE-O-METER RATING

5 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “10s ACROSS THE BOARD – LEGENDARY STATUS”

What’s Hamilton? It’s the smash Broadway musical that tells the story of one of America’s Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton. It swept the 2016 Tony Awards with 11 wins, including one for Best Musical. But really, who doesn’t know this show? What’s the Au-Rene Theater? It’s the main theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. It holds about 2,600 people, and it has three levels. How was the venue? Elegant. The foyer is spacious.

Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording. Two discs. $18.89.

How was the parking? They have valet, or you can park in the garage for $12. The garage is about a block away. We also found a parking lot for $10 that’s a couple blocks away. It’s across the street from the Museum of Discovery and Science. This parking lot is a hidden gem, as there’s no line to enter it—you just pull right in. Fabulous! Does the venue serve liquor? Yes. How were the drinks? They were fine. We got one each. They measure the pour with a jigger, though, so you don’t get a drop extra. A double costs about $20. Does the venue serve food? They have some finger food. How was the food? We didn’t get any.

Where were the seats? Row V in the orchestra. How much were the tickets? $272.75. And if you think that’s a lot, they’re even more on Broadway. As a comparison, in the 1970s the ticket price for the Liza Minnelli vehicle, The Act, caused a stir for being too high. And what was the top price for that show, you might ask? $25. Was the show sold out? Yes. And if you’re think about seeing it, I wouldn’t wait to get tickets. I looked, and even the last show only had about 10 tickets left that weren’t re-sale ones. And these unprecedented sales aren’t just happening in South Florida. The first stop of the first national tour—there are now two national tours running simultaneously—was in San Francisco, with a run of about five months. The entire run sold out in 24 hours after it went on sale.

How was the show? The show started with an un-egalitarian audio notice from King George III, with him telling you to enjoy “my” show. The show then began with the famous “Alexander Hamilton” number, which foreshadowed the events of the show and of Hamilton’s life (think the “Ballad of Sweeney Todd” from Sweeney Todd). From there, the show moved to the year 1776. But to get full enjoyment from the show’s first few numbers likely requires knowledge of the score. It’s when the Destiny’s Child-ish Schuyler sisters appeared that the show really picked up for the uninitiated. And it never let up until the end. The entirety of the show vacillated between Hamilton’s private and public life (although dramatic license was taken with both). Regarding his public life, one saw how Hamilton rose all the way from an orphaned immigrant with no money to become the first Secretary of Treasury, only to be killed in a duel by Vice President Aaron Burr. His private life saw equal tragedy with the death of his first child and first son in a duel defending Hamilton’s honor, and a period of estrangement from his wife because of a sex scandal. The acting and singing from the performers in this tour, monitored the “Phillip Tour,” was fine. But the original Broadway cast, they ain’t. A standout performance came from Jon Patrick Walker as King George III. And although his performance was in contrast to Jonathan Groff’s Broadway take of the king as icy and unhinged, nevertheless, Walker’s version was resplendent with pomp, circumstance and rolling r’s. And when the end of the show finally came (the running time is just short of three hours), it was not bombastic. To the contrary, it featured an economy of craft, as all good works of the stage or screen should have, and left the viewer wanting more. The curtain call consisted of one line of actors—including Mosieur Hamilton—instead of individual bows, which could be considered a nod to the democratic predilection of America’s Founding Fathers.

How was the crowd? They were into it, but their response did not equal the popularity of the show. It’s possible that some were emotionally overwhelmed at the end. It’s also possible that some of the audience consisted of season subscribers, who may not be familiar with the work. What could have improved the show? Some of the dialogue was inaudible during some of the parts, which can be a problem with large booking houses.

What was surprising about the show? Spoiler alert: If you want to be completed surprised by the show, don’t read any further. Oh, where to begin? One, I had no idea that the show utilized a double rotating stage—otherwise known as a concentric stage—with one stage rotating within another. The show’s choreography capitalized on these mechanics for maximum dramatic effect, probably even more so than with Les Miserables’ famous rotating stage. And two, it’s a requirement of both tours that they not only have the concentric stages, but they must be able to duplicate the original Broadway choreography and lighting design. Beyond the quality of the music and the lyrics, if there was one standout, it was the combination of the choreography, lighting and staging. I have never seen those theatrical elements used as effectively in the theater as they were in this show.

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located at 201 S.W. 5^thAve., in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The show runs through January 20. There are also a limited number of lottery tickets that are available online two days before each show for $10, in commemoration of the “ten-dollar Founding Father.”