By Debbie Oberlander
My relationship with “Sweeney” started years ago watching a movie called Jersey Girl. In the movie the kids in Girdie’s class had to perform a song from a Broadway musical and she chose Sweeney Todd! After hearing only one song…”God That’s Good”, I was HOOKED! My husband got his hands on every stage version we could find! It quickly became my ALL TIME FAVORITE!!
It speaks volumes to our human nature and how the seemingly insignificant choices we make every day…write our “story”. We enter Sweeney’s story to find him broken…defeated with nothing to live for. The pivotal point that has always brought me to tears is when he is “reunited” with his razors! So much so, I have the image tattooed on my RIGHT ARM!
From that point on Sweeney changes his path and becomes so committed to revenge that he completely loses sight of ANY other option. “The lives of the wicked should be made brief, for the rest of us death will be a relief!” There is one other scene that jumps out as a “last chance” moment. Sweeney is alone with the beggar woman in his shop and Joanna is hiding in the trunk in that same room…In that brief moment Sweeney has EVERYTHING to live for! He has his wife and child! But cannot see through the blinding thought of REVENGE and unknowingly throws it all away!
I’ve seen multiple versions of this production and each one brings something NEW to the story! I am “over the top” excited to be a part of AOTC’s production and cannot wait to see it come to life in downtown Kankakee!