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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street @ Lakeland College Civic Theater 2/8
Must-see shivers: Martin Friedman's masterful production of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd may be the most satisfying theatre you'll experience all year. It's certainly the most memorably moving version of the Demon Barber I've ever seen -- a stripped-down version set in a courtroom that brings out its powerful message about the corrosive effects of injustice and revenge.

Casting perfection: The two leads -- riveting Dan Folino with his enormous, effortless baritone and Alison Garrigan, the funniest, sexiest Mrs. Lovett ever -- own the show. Friedman takes advantage of their chemistry, making the comic post-murder song "Have a Little Priest" function as foreplay, literally bringing Sweeney back to roaring life. And Lindsey Sandham is a haunting revelation as Sweeney's long-lost daughter Johanna -- as brittle and vulnerable as the birds she sings about, with a clarion soprano that leads to Friedman's crushing, brilliant finale. Add Connor O'Brien's passionate tenor as her lover Anthony, a creepily foppish Judge Turpin (Douglas Collier), a perfectly funny Pirelli the Italian barber (Josh Theilan) -- and you have a dream cast that had stunned intermission audiences exclaiming to each other that the production could move as-is to PlayhouseSquare at 4X the price.

Production kudos: With his painterly lighting and perfectly configured courtroom set, designer Trad A. Burns kicks up the professionalism a notch, as do Craig Tucker's costumes and Larry Goodpaster's impeccable musical direction. But Friedman's intelligent directorial rendering is what pulls it all together, with dozens of innovative touches that bring out the show's deeper meanings. It's a masterpiece, and you shouldn’t miss it.

Details: Thru 2/22 @ Lakeland Community College, Rt. 306 @ I-90, http://lakelandcc.edu/academic/arts/theatre.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein lindaATcoolcleveland.com

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