“HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!”

“Porchlight’s all-Sondheim season began with a fiery, often revelatory production of ‘Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,’ arguably Sondheim’s greatest work. And all I could think was: Sondheim probably cannot even imagine just how beautifully and insightfully this company deals with his work."

Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

“AMAZING INTIMATE PRODUCTION OF SONDHEIM’S GRAND GUIGNOL OPERA - ‘SWEENEY TODD’ IS A GEM!”

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

“Porchlight Music Theatre, under the leadership and direction from Michael Weber, have mounted, on a low budget, an intense, well sung and well performed production of ‘Sweeney Todd’…This production is intimate, slick and darkly scary, proving that the source material can work on different scales.”

Tom Williams, Chicago Critic

“EVERY ASPECT OF THIS PRODUCTION IS TOP NOTCH”

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

“…David Girolmo and Rebecca Finnegan are a match made in heaven (okay, by Michael Weber) and the chemistry between them on stage is pure magic. Yes, the play is over 2 1/2 hours, but guess what? It is one of the best 2 plus hours of theater you will have this year (or ever)... directed by Michael Weber, who truly knows how to make a large musical work in an intimate space.”

Al Bresloff, Around the Town Chicago

“REVENGE THAT’S EASY AS PIE”

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

“Unquestionably Porchlight Music Theatre’s magnum opus, Michael Weber has assembled a brilliantly talented cast, supported his production with some of Chicago’s finest musical and technical artistry and delivered an award-winning production of Sondheim’s musical classic that this city will be talking about for years to come. Audiences leaving Stage 773 will be heard exclaiming, ‘God, That’s Good!’"

Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review

“‘SWEENEY TODD’ AT PORCHLIGHT: INDULGE YOURSELF WITH THE BEST MEAT PIE IN CHICAGO; IT’S DEEP DISH”

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

“A smartly cast show filled with performances memorable no less for their intensity than for their stagecraft. Sitting at ringside in the intimate venue of Stage 773 is a heady experience. While the sense of immediacy is electric, it comes with a distinct titillation of unease — like riding on a giant roller-coaster.

This well-coached show benefits everywhere from the work of stage director Michael Weber, musical director Doug Peck and choreographer Dina DiCostanzo. Ensemble numbers are tight, energetic and smartly sung; each face seems to have not just its own persona, but its own story. And when characters emerge from the crowd, they bring real presence and solid voices that can manage Sondheim’s deceptively demanding music.

Just as Porchlight’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ is a triumph of ensemble and staging, it also parades prize-worthy achievements in Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s efficient multi-level set design, Bill Morey’s rags-and-riches costumes and the imaginative lighting scheme devised by Greg Hofmann and Jess Goings. It’s the stuff of a demonic thriller that grabs you by the throat. And it’s razor sharp.”

Lawrence Bommer, Chicago on the Aisle