Sweeney Todd
Book by Hugh Wheeler | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Scenic Design by George Maxwell | Costume Design by Brenda Van der Weil | Lighting Design by Paul Miller | Directed and Choreographed by Karen Azenberg
Pioneer Theatre Company
Salt Lake City, Utah
“Karen Azenberg’s direction is theatrical with an epic scope but also narrowed into the humanity of the characters. The musical staging is as gripping as the performances, and it fits George Maxwell’s brooding set design perfectly. The large moving gears and metal beams add a dreary spectacle, and Paul Miller’s lighting design utilizes nuanced light and shadow with minimal color to further set the scene. The instances of shadow play are a brilliant combination of the direction, set, and lighting that add a masterful creative element. ”
““Sweeney Todd” Puts the Gore in Gorgeous.”
“Just walk into the theater and you will know there’s something special ahead. George Maxwell’s set has an off-kilter look, all rusty industrial girders, frames and cogs, ready to grind up anyone who gets careless — which is not far from the truth.
That set is illuminated by light and shadow, fog and mist. Nothing is exactly what it seems. You have been warned.”
“Their story unfolded against scenic designer George Maxwell’s massive, rusted cogwheels, an oversized reminder that this story sits at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Lighting designer Paul Miller kept pace with Sondheim’s musical moods, at times bathing the actors in haunting shadow and other times in blood red. ”
“What the actors and director Karen Azenberg created was pure magic. The show drew the audience compellingly into 19th century London’s seamier side—a sub-world inhabited mostly by undesirable yet fascinating characters...
The show is aided immeasurably by the contributions of the costume, make up, scenic and lighting designers (Brenda van der Wiel, Amanda French, George Maxwell and Paul Miller, respectively).”
