Teenaged Sweeney Todd Surmounts Our Skepticism
Daniel Schwait as Sweeney and Lisa Hill as Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd" at ArtsWest. Photo by Matt Durham Photography.
Still, we arrived at the theater skeptical. How can the part of a vengeful, heart-broken, middle-aged barber be played by someone who only recently started shaving?
Daniel Schwait, the 19-year-old Manhattanite who plays the lead, convinced us that it could. He handled the deep vocal range the part requires, and plumbed the disturbing depths of his character as well--winning us over completely with a stellar rendition of "Epiphany" near the end of the first act.
Lisa Hill as the "resourceful" Mrs. Lovett does some fine singing and even finer acting as the comic foil to Todd's dark straight man. And, in one of the few parts Sondheim wrote with a young person in mind, Katie Hume nearly steals the show as Johanna.
It's not a very large part, but we kept wishing it had been, because Hume's heart-stopping soprano voice is the best thing about this production.
Hume, a junior at Hamilton High School Academy of Music in Los Angeles, may possess the best voice you'll hear live this year, is a pretty good actor to boot, and will someday probably be far too famous to perform in West Seattle (unless it's a private appearance at Eddie Vedder's place).
If you live in West Seattle, there's really no excuse not to plunk down the $15 to see this show ($10 for 25 or unders), if only to hear her.
This Seattlest is a mainlander, but we didn't regret making the trek at all, especially since it gave us a chance to sample the best non-Alki-thing in West Seattle--ice cream at the Husky Deli. Conveniently, the Deli is right next door to the theater, so get there 15 minutes early and snare a cone. You'll be happy you did.
Special notice must be given to the professionals on the stage--the six musicians who provide the score for the two-hour-plus show. Especially Deanna Schaffer, the conductor/pianist, who does the bulk of the playing.
Here's a video preview of the show, giving you a nice idea of how excellent Schwalt's singing is...
