Dark comedies tend to appeal to a certain type of crowd, but on opening night of Sweeney Todd on MTSU’s campus Halloween weekend, diversity packed the auditorium. Everyone settled in for the first of four nights with certain performers that would vary night-to-night. As the orchestra pit descended and the stage came alive for this musical thriller, attendees exchanged incredulous glances due to the outstanding performances of all involved.

“The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” opener surprised and shook everyone to the core with astounding harmonies and lively movements. The audience was not expecting every single performer to be faultless in stage presence, yet panning the stage, those involved were completely in character. “The Best Pies in London” was a personal favorite; Mrs. Lovett (played by Micah Johnson) lit the stage with her spunky demeanor, and with Sweeney Todd (played by Scott Willis), both were exceptional.

The voice of Johanna (played by Charley Talley) was truly that of a songbird, capturing even the toughest looking males in the audience (ha ha) and Pirelli (played by Daniel Joyce) somehow managed to provide the most comic relief while also extending the role of the sauve competitor. The Beggar Woman (played by Amanda Smith) was a most exciting character and the key to all that unfolded in the plot. The rest of the cast didn’t take their roles lightly as they whipped and waved throughout the show.

As the performance received a well-deserved standing ovation and the orchestra pit ascended?a nice reminder that “Sweeney Todd” was in fact completely live in every sense of the word?the nature of all the hard work it must have taken them to make this play outstanding was revealed as they came onto the stage for credits. They all humbly loved the audience and each other, and this alone is living proof that the art community in Murfreesboro is hitting unprecedented levels in every way imaginable?5 Pulses!

I will be at the next MTSU show.