SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET Adelaide College of the ARTS Adelaide College of the ARTS Until 19 Sep 2010 Review by Maggie Wood Entering the theatre at AC Arts for its production of “Sweeney Todd” was an experience akin towitnessing a vision of Victorian London spilling through some time warp onto the auditorium. A slowly revolving tableau of images and sounds paraded before us, depicting the brutality of life inthose days. Haunted faces, soulless bodies and the desperation of basic survival set the scene for thestory to come. The tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who utilises the synergies between his ownmurderous activities and Mrs Lovett with her pie shop then comes to life with a stellar cast. Michael Hartwich as Sweeney has an inkling of unnerving youth beneath the makeup, but as soon as helaunches into his character that’s all gone as he is the epitome of wracked spirit and tortured soul. Anna Cheney as Mrs Lovett is outstanding as she skips the moods between plotting, self-seeking, lust,humour, fear and greed – and often all of them within the space of a few lines. Her lightness of touch isa wonderful contrast to the gravitas of Hartwich’s performance, and the two complement each othervery well. Josh Battersby is suitably lovelorn as Anthony; Ellonye Keniry is sweet as Johanna and Ben Crawford ischilling as the evil Judge Turpin. Matt Gregan is superb as The Beadle, delightfully evil and playing the dark side - again with a lightnessof touch that subtly twists the audience loyalties. We know he’s evil, but he seems to be having suchfun. Can he really be that bad? The minor principals and ensemble are spot on with energy, commitment and musicality. Kudos must go to director Rachel Moorhead for delivering a thoroughly entertaining and quality-ledproduction. Carol Young leads a four piece band that sounds a lot larger, and the choreography, lights, set, costumeand soundscape by Jenn havelberg, Jordan Staples, Edi Carlos de Oliveira, Sarah Dimasi and theaforementioned Ms Young respectively, all combine superbly. This reviewer has witnessed a fair amount of professional productions that do not reach the standard sethere by AC Arts. The entire production was a joy to watch and experience.