‘Sweeney Todd’ is a bloody good show

Martha Wilkinson and Lane Davies star in Tennessee Rep’s production of ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.’

Sweeney Todd is one of those rare theatrical gems that defies classification. It’s not quite an opera, although it has been performed by opera houses around the world. It’s not really a musical comedy, although some parts are quite hilarious.

Perhaps this inability to define it is what makes Sweeney Todd such an enduring story. This one has it all — sex, violence, humor, suspense. No wonder this morbid masterpiece won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in 1979. And with its season-opening production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the Tennessee Repertory Theatre promises to bring a whole new generation to this classic American musical.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, Sweeney Todd weaves a dark tale of murder and culinary retribution. The show opens with Benjamin Barker, an unjustly exiled barber, returning to London with a taste for revenge.

He adopts a new name, Sweeney Todd, and takes a room above Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop, determined to make his enemies pay with an extra-close shave. Soon, he is practicing on the throats of unsuspecting customers, who are then sent to Mrs. Lovett’s ovens to be used in her succulent meat pies.

Director Rene D. Copeland has assembled a thoroughly talented cast, including television’s Lane Davies in the title role. Davies delivers a dark and haunting Sweeney Todd, a desperate man eaten up by vengeance. Meanwhile, Martha Wilkinson more than holds her own as the conniving Mrs. Lovett. Wilkinson mugs it up, working the crowd to maximum effect, particularly in the first-act closer “A Little Priest.”

Other standouts include newcomer Zachary Hess, who dazzles the audience with his lovely vocals as Anthony Hope, and Bobby Wyckoff, who provides terrific comic relief as the sniveling con man Adolfo Pirelli. And Patrick Waller delivers one of my all-time favorite Broadway ballads, “Not While I’m Around,” with great honesty and tenderness.

Musical Director Timothy Fudge deserves high praise for his work here, as does Gary C. Hoff for his scenic design. Set in TPAC’s intimate Johnson Theater, this inspired production effectively captures the shabby squalor of Fleet Street while transporting the audience to the dark trappings of Sweeney Todd’s mind.

What: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays through Oct.18.

Where: TPAC’s Johnson Theater, 505 Deaderick St.

Cost: $11.50- $41.50

Info: Tickets are on sale at the TPAC Box Offices in downtown Nashville, at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Green Hills and at all Ticketmaster outlets as well by 255-ARTS or visiting ticketmaster.com or tennesseerep.org.

‘Bell Witch’ returns in time to haunt Halloween

In the spirit for a homegrown horror story?

You need look no further than your own backyard for a spine-tingling tale known as The Bell Witch Story. And the Tennessee Theater Company is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the popular production with shows running in Nashville through Oct. 18 (and various other locations throughout Middle Tennessee through Oct. 31).

Billed as a “supernatural historic thriller,” The Bell Witch Story is based on actual events that shook the small community of Adams, Tenn., between 1817 and 1821. During this time, a cruel spirit terrorized John Bell and his family with mysterious voices and even physical attacks. It is said that when Andrew Jackson visited the Bell’s home, he vowed “I would rather fight the entire British Army single-handed than face this witch again.”

The Bell Witch Story first captured audiences’ attention 10 years ago at the Sumner County Playhouse in Hendersonville. Since then, playwright and director Ric White also penned a well-received feature film called The Bell Witch Haunting. White based both stories on the book by Charles Bailey Bell, which documented the Bell Witch phenomenon using recollections of those who had witnessed the strange events.

“This story is different than anything people have seen, heard or feared before,” White said. “I was always fascinated by the Bell Witch growing up… but when I started researching and reading the recollections of the people who were there, it made the hair stand on my neck. As extraordinary as the urban legends sound, they are nothing compared to what really happened.”

What: The Bell Witch Story

When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9-11 and 16-18

Where: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, 625 Smith Ave.

Cost: $15, $12 for seniors, $10 for students

Info: 730-8538, bellwitchstory.com