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YOUNGSTOWN -- Once again Millennial Theatre Company tackles a difficult production and proves to be more than up to the task.
The Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical "Sweeney Todd" has a score that verges on operatic and some technical challenges that are easier to execute on a professional theater company's budget.
Director Joe Asente assembles a cast that is capable of the vocal challenges and surrounds them with a staging filled with ingenuity.
The title character is a barber who's escaped from prison and returns to London for revenge against Judge Turpin, who assaulted his wife and created the false charges against him.
Upon his return, he learns from Mrs. Lovett that his wife poisoned herself after he was imprisoned, and his infant daughter, Johanna, became Turpin's ward.
Tyler Stouffer's Sweeney Todd is brooding and rage-filled. There's a grandeur to his approach with the character, like a silent film actor. At times the demands of the songs strain his lower register, or at least his ability to project while hitting those notes, but he brings that same intensity to his vocals.
Brandy Johanntges takes a lighter approach as Mrs. Lovett and adds some much-needed levity. Both in her dialogue and her vocal numbers, she shows a knack for shifting the inflection on a word or a phrase for maximum comedic impact.
Her solo numbers like "Worst Pies in London" and the first act duet with Stouffer on "A Little Priest" were among the show's best moments.
There are strong vocals throughout, particularly Hannah Marzano's pure soprano as Johanna, George Maillis as Anthony, the sailor who rescues Sweeney Todd at sea and falls in love with Johanna; and Finn O'Hara singing "Not While I'm Around" as Tobias.
Music directors Rosie Bresson and Cari Auth show their best work on the ensemble numbers, where the audience could simultaneously appreciate the precision of the individual vocal parts and the magnificent blend they created together.
Asente's production design is a marvel in its efficient use of space.
Todd's barber studio is on the second level of the stage set. It not only allows for an impressive dispatching of the barber's victims, but it lets Stouffer to loom over the action below like an intimidating force.
The two main set pieces serve a multitude of roles. Depending on how one block is turned, it can be Lovett's pie shop, her parlor or the basement of the building. The staircase can attach to the block to provide access to the second level or it can be detached to serve as the balcony where Anthony first sees Johanna or spun around to be the prison where Judge Turpin holds her.
The set wouldn't be as effective as it is if the ensemble didn't do double duty as the crew, quickly and quietly shifting the pieces for the next scene, sometimes while the previous scene still was happening. They worked together with the precision of a NASCAR pit crew, and their efforts kept the pacing brisk in the second act.
Brian Palumbo's costumes, the lighting and some special effects also add to the visual appeal of the production. Asente promised blood in an interview for a preview story on the musical, and there's some gore to go along with the glorious performances.
If you go …
WHAT: Millennial Theatre Company -- "Sweeney Todd"
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Nov. 4, 2 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
WHERE: Hopewell Theatre, 702 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown
HOW MUCH: Tickets are $25 and are available online at millennialtheatre.org