Demon barber cuts into Lexington

By Kelly Wiley

The plot: revenge, blood, a razor and a death trap in the form of a barber chair.

Less than a year ago “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” made its way to theaters with large amounts of blood, body parts and gore.

There have been many versions of “Sweeney Todd” made for TV, film and theater, but this weekend the touring cast of “Sweeney Todd” will bring the newly reworked version back to the stage when they make their stop at the Lexington Opera House.

“Anytime you can see a live performance on stage it’s a completely different experience,” said Luanne Franklin, program director for the Lexington Opera House. “It almost begs you to come and see the difference so you can get another creative take on the story.”

The story of Sweeney Todd, known as Benjamin Barker before his dark side is revealed, revolves around revenge. After Judge Turpin ships Todd away on a false charge, he goes after Todd’s wife, Lucy, and daughter, Johanna. Long story short, Todd returns illegally to plot his revenge after Turpin adopts Johanna.

“You can’t really expect the movie because it’s so minimalistic,” said Matt Cusack who plays Jonas Fogg in the musical version of “Sweeney Todd.” “In the movie there is blood pouring everywhere and the bodies come crunching down to the floor board.”

Cusack said the story line hasn’t changed, but the way in which it is presented has been tweaked. John Doyle, director of original direction and design, reworked the play, with only a few major changes.

Doyle first performed the play at a small theater in England, Cusack said. Having to make budget cuts, Doyle decided to use less blood than seen in the original version; however, Cusack said there are still a few buckets of blood used in the show.

One the biggest change made was taking the 30-piece orchestra making up the original Broadway production and reducing it to a 10-member ensemble of actors and musicians.

“Everyone has to be very talented to pull this off,” Cusack said. “It’s more personal and you get to know the story a little better.”

Each cast member plays an instrument, Cusack said. This is one of many elements that you cannot get from the movie, he said.

“It’s just a cool thing to go to a show and see all the musicians on stage singing and acting,” Cusack said.

Besides the play itself, Franklin said there is another great aspect to the show. With the economy in its downward position, and college students having tight budgets, she said any student who comes 90 minutes before each performance, with a student ID, will receive 50 percent off ticket prices; otherwise, tickets range from $50 to $75. The performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.