REVIEW: SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET—La Mirada Theatre
- TheShowReport
- 13 hours ago
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A dark, witty tale of love, murder, and revenge set against the backdrop of 19th century London
FEBRUARY 2, 2026—LA MIRADA, CA
Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, is a dark tale of corruption and murder based on the 19th century legend of a vengeful London barber (a.k.a. Benjamin Barker) against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice.
Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up in droves...Let the carnage begin.
Directed by the incredible Tony-Award winning Jason Alexander (most previously in the role of Tevye at La Mirada Theatre’s “Fiddler on the Roof” the end of 2024; NBC’s “Seinfeld”), this daringly imaginative revival of Stephen Sondheim’s twisted thriller casts a chilling spell over the audience by placing the action in a dark, gritty arena of a psychiatric ward. While not in the original 1979 production, the added elements add a deeper layer of psychological terror to the evening. The show runs on La Mirada Theatre’s magnificent stage through February 22nd.
Will Swenson is extraordinary in the leading role. His commanding presence is evident from the moment he steps on stage and introduces himself as the demon barber of Fleet Street. He brings sensuality as well as a menacing dominance to the gruesome hero with his shock of hair and contemptuous smirk, bleeding an exhilarating new vein of darkness into the production. Well suited in his vocal wheelhouse, the character’s rich, low, baritone vibrato is delivered mostly in full voice, full of menace and torment, rattling your bones and delivering an unforgettable performance. His frustration for a missed opportunity in “Epiphany,” for example, is sung with such striking emotional force that it serves up quakes of harrowing fear and disquietude.
As Todd, his time in exile has hardened him with no sense of propriety or moral code, and there are few glimpses of his backstory, or current capacity for close relationships. When he slashes his victims’ throats, it’s shocking and gory — but matter-of-fact, represented by a flood of scarlet red "blood petals" for each victim. A scene with Todd, standing forbiddingly on the stage’s upper level, delivering a thunderous release of pent-up emotional anguish was truly terrifying. Yet, experiencing his ultimate grief and fragility in the final scene was truly saddening.
Mr. Swenson pairs off with Lesli Margherita’s Mrs. Lovett to create an insane series of darkly comic moments throughout the performance, especially with the closing number of Act 1, “A Little Priest,” the number that is hands down the best performed in the show. And, fully embracing the campy melodramatic nature of her down-on-her-luck fortuity, Ms. Margherita performs two other hysterical numbers which tie for number two: “The Worst Pies in London” and “By the Sea” — both imbued with her sensational sense of physical comedy.
Together, their cheeky wit, flirtatious banter, snarky attitudes, and overall willing playfulness in these songs are maddeningly delightful as they overwork each and every clever pun Sondheim has penned into the numbers. The carefully constructed sexual charges between them are also delivered flawlessly with exacting execution.
Speaking of which, sexual deviance and madness seem to go hand in hand with the flagrant Beggar Woman (Meghan Andrews, delivering the perfect balance of pitiful woman with wandering wits and a fetidly foul street strumpet). Ms. Andrews digs her heels into the grody nature of the character and willfully lashes out relentless insanity and frustrations every time she appears on the stage. With a floating operatic voice that starts her harkening cry of alms in “No Place Like London,” Ms. Andrews’ upper register is divinely foreboding for these moments, as well as her solo features in “Searching” wherein her full cracked madness erupts onto the scene with dismal tragedy.
Andrew Polec, who delivers the most impressive accent in the show, takes the cake as a scene-stealing showboat in the role of Adolfo Pirelli. Gusto, vim, and vigor are all but shooting out of his ears when he bombards his way into the street scene for his entrance. Achingly funny, “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir/The Contest” gives Mr. Polec a chance to display his stunning vocal prowess as well as his campy character work, delivering one of the most striking sustained belts at the end of the segment. Unfortunately, he is one of the first casualties.
The oddly terrific ingénues, Anthony (Chris Hunter) and Johanna (Allison Sheppard) have their work cut out for them as they serve as the only glimmer of hope amid the dark and twisting plotline of the tale. Mr. Hunter is a solid performer, easily connecting Anthony’s emotional turmoil to the lyrics he’s singing with a voice that is hauntingly beautiful. “Ah, Miss” is the perfect example of Mr. Hunter’s ability to fully articulate the emotional conundrum the character is experiencing.
The chemistry between Mr. Hunter’s Anthony and Ms. Sheppard’s Johanna feels authentic, particularly during “Kiss Me” parts 1 and 2. Ms. Sheppard’s classical voice is both dulcet and delectable. “Green Finch & Linnet Bird” is carried with her rich soprano sound and contains notes of melancholy as well as jubilation. And her frightened madness that arrives during the “City on Fire” sequence is indeed startling.
Norman Large’s reprehensible Judge Turpin delivers chilling doses of evil throughout the production and is particularly lecherous and cringey. Mr. Large’s maliciously self-gratifying scene during “Johanna” is hauntingly disturbing, but he toes the line of corruption and villainy without creating a caricature of the judge. With his hawkshaw Beadle Bamford (Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper) always consociating, the judge often looks like a 1920’s business mafia-man, jiving in a strange but not unpleasant fashion with the rest of the production’s concept. When Mr. Large’s voice blends with that of Sweeney Todd for “Pretty Women,” they echo each other’s sentiment of merriment divinely.
Another evocative number in the latter stages of the show is “Not While I’m Around,” Lovett’s duet with a very expressive Austyn Myers’ Tobias Ragg, a young boy she takes into her home. Mr. Myers performs with wide-eyed innocence, tenderness and blind allegiance. This makes his transformation by the final scene a brutal one to witness, but a remarkable one just the same.
Sweeney Todd’s ensemble (choreographed by Lee Martino), who shifts from playing a homogenous Greek Chorus to crowd members (“Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir”) to customers of Lovett’s pie shop (“God, That’s Good!”) to unruly lunatics at Fogg’s Asylum brings forth powerful renditions of every gnarly incarnation, while Music Director and Conductor Darryl Archibald’s faultless orchestra plays this challenging score with incredible precision and passion, dictating the overall emotional pulse that Jason Alexander intended for the production.
Jared A. Sayeg’s lighting is sublime, and his use of under-lighting, particularly on the ensemble for various instances of “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,” is some of the most intense mood lighting in the production. Jonathan A. Burke’s sound design brings the screeching shrill sounds that are expected in this twisted and gory tale to life, and matches them accordingly and often quite purposefully against Mr. Sayeg’s lighting.
Teamed with direction is scenic designer Paul Tate dePoo’s exceptional job of infusing the house and stage with the show’s aesthetic. Properties master Kevin Williams gives the audience the blood they’re calling for when it comes to Sweeney’s razor. Executed with just the right amount of gore, both the iconic razor and his fully-functioning dismissive chair are brilliant masterpieces that, notoriously, must have their own focus of attention.
LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET; With Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM; Book by HUGH WHEELER; From an Adaptation by CHRISTOPHER BOND; Originally Directed on Broadway by HAROLD PRINCE; Orchestrations by JONATHAN TUNICK; Musical Direction by DARRYL ARCHIBALD; Choreography by LEE MARTINO; Direction by TONY AWARD WINNER JASON ALEXANDER; Scenic Design by PAUL TATE DEPOO III; Lighting Design by JARED SAYEG; Sound Design by JONATHAN BURKE; Costume Design by KATE BERGH; Hair/Wig Design by KATIE MCCOY YAGEN; Fight Choreographer/Stunt Coordinator is ERIK GRATTON; Properties Design by KEVIN WILLIAMS; Casting Director is JULIA FLORES; Production Stage Manager is BRANT SENNETT.
CAST: WILL SWENSON as “Sweeney Todd;” LESLI MARGHERITA as “Mrs. Lovett;” CHRIS HUNTER as “Anthony;” ALLISON SHEPPARD as “Johanna;” NORMAN LARGE as “Judge Turpin;” NICHOLAS MONGIARDO-COOPER as “Beadle Bamford;” AUSTYN MYERS as “Tobias;” ANDREW POLEC as “Pirelli;” MEGHAN ANDREWS as “The Beggar Woman;” and JEFF LOWE as “The Overseer.” The Ensemble features GABBIE ADNER; ANTHONY CANNARELLA; RYAN DIETZ; GRANT HODGES; BETS MALONE; DREW MARGOLIS; MICHAEL MCCLURE; HASSAN NAZARI-ROBATI; LIZZY SHECK; RIANNY VASQUEZ; TONY ELIZABETH WHITE. Swings features DAVIDE COSTA and MADDIE MILLER LACAMBRA.
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET opened Saturday, January 31 at 8 pm, and will run through Sunday, February 22, 2026 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm; and Sundays at 1:30 pm & 6:30 pm. There is no performance on Sunday, February 1st at 6:30 pm. Tickets range from $20 - $100 and can be purchased at www.LaMiradaTheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310.
CHRIS DANIELS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWER
THE SHOW REPORT
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Niedle/TETHOS
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