Mike's adventures in art: Sweeney Todd, Drug Lord, BAIT

"Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street," is showing at the 5th Ave Theatre. Visually, this production is stunning. Scenic designer, Lex Marcos, stole the show. The set is three levels. It's metallic, sharp, and gloomy. The third level puts characters in a position to loom over the audience in such a bold and at times creepy way. The center piece, which contains Mrs. Lovett's pie shop on the first story and Sweeney Todd's barbershop on the second story, is placed on a rotating panel. With a half turn, we see a grungy brick wall that puts us in London, where the huge ensemble created the feeling of actually being on the busy streets of London. There were moments where up to 15 actors shared the stage. The full rotation of the platform revealed the bakeshop in the back of the meat pie shop where human bodies were turned into pies. The brilliance of the set design came in moments where characters entered and exited the meat pie shop while it rotated seamlessly changing the perspective of the audience and allowing for flawless movement of actors. The pace of the play was breathtaking.