Buckle your seatbelts and silence your phones for the wildest ride you’ll ever take in WJ’s theater. The musical opened with a daunting, chant-like song, setting the tone for the story. The ensemble, led by the prominent characters, belted “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” before Todd himself, played by junior Benjamin Kish, was illuminated in center stage.

In this chaotic musical, multiple people and elements immediately stood out, Kish being one of them. Kish portrayed the mentally disturbed Todd with impressive conviction, one example being his first song, “No Place Like London.” Kish’s bass voice and his ability to stress both lower and higher notes suited Todd’s methodically chaotic ballads and mood swings. His dark demeanor and psychotic intentions are most prominent in the songs “My Friends,” referring to his razors, and “Epiphany,” in which Todd fully snaps and commits to mass murder. Kish, throughout the performance, played the part a little too well. I now know where not to go for my next haircut.

Todd’s counterpart, Mrs. Lovett, was just as insane, if not more so. Senior Mia Halper complemented Kish’s vengeance-driven psychosis with her obsession with Todd. Halper introduced Lovett’s wild personality with “The Worst Pies in London,” and her acting throughout the song provides a comedic contrast to Todd’s almost-nihilism. Halper also portrays Lovett’s complexity in “By the Sea,” with her tone really selling her craving for love and stability.

Another notable cast member was junior Clifford Hubbard, who played the part of Anthony, a 20-year-old in love with Todd’s long lost daughter Johanna. Their genuine love at first sight was refreshing in contrast to Todd’s and Lovett’s almost toxic relationship. Hubbard’s voice during “Johanna” (in both acts) was astounding, and his clarity despite having mic issues throughout the musical was impressive.

On the topic of mics, there weren’t any significant cut-outs, with the only issue being Hubbard’s mic. It was difficult to understand what he was saying during some scenes, but Hubbard kept the show going with his increasing enunciation, improving the overall clarity.

The tech crew also blew my mind. The inclusion of the trap door and chute through the barber chair really sold the killings and made for a fun surprise. On top of that, the oven, the barbershop, the bakery and the town itself were really impressive. Props, as always, to the carpentry crew!

The last thing in the sea of chaos that really pulled the musical together was the pit orchestra. While the acting at some points felt crazy and psychotic, the background performance was calculated, a refreshing contrast. The use of horns and harsh strings foreshadowed the scenes in which Todd killed his victims. Music has a way of controlling how the audience feels, taking the narrative of the scenes and adding an extra layer of emotion, and the pit orchestra did just that. Transitions from “God, That’s Good!” to “Johanna” in act two were seamless and calm with little to no errors. Honestly, the background music was my favorite part of the musical.

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” was not my favorite musical I’ve seen from WJ STAGE. Maybe I was just too tired, but it felt very chaotic. However, elements such as the pit orchestra, the trapdoor and the amazing singing really brought me back.

I have high expectations for WJ STAGE musicals, and their production of Sweeney Todd didn’t let me down. Between the phenomenal acting, a pit that sounded nigh-flawless and the relatively minimal technical problems, I consider this easily one of their best performances I’ve seen.

Just murdering their patrons was apparently not enough crime for the two leads — junior Yuri Sternberg as Sweeney Todd and senior Emily Ashman as Mrs. Lovett — as they clearly felt the need to commit theft and steal the show, too. Sternberg’s baritone literally reverberated throughout the theater and, combined with intensely passionate facial expressions and gestures, produced a result that was nothing short of disturbing (in a good way). In “Epiphany,” after Anthony inadvertently stops Todd from slitting Turpin’s throat, Sternberg appeared genuinely maniac as he roared threats, brandished his razor and gestured wildly towards the audience.

Ashman, his accomplice, was similarly fantastic. Whether she was sprinting around her shop helping customers or planning aloud who to kill with Todd, every one of Ashman’s appearances was impassioned and realistic. I especially loved her execution of “By The Sea,” in which Ashman sung, cavorted around the stage in fits of glee, and hugged her would-be lover anticipation of their future life together.

While Ashman and Sternberg were standouts, the rest of the cast was as well-honed as Sweeney’s razors. Senior Jose Mendoza alternated expertly between a cold monotone and cruel fury as the vicious Judge Turpin, making his character impressively easy to dislike. The dynamic between junior Kolton Sidhu and sophomore Kylee Solt-Linville — Anthony and Johanna, respectively — felt natural and touching, and their duets were some of my favorite scenes. Senior Billie Lieber excelled as Beadle Bamford, giving depth to a character that could otherwise have come across as merely an enforcer, and sophomore Naama Goldberg achieved the difficult tasking of making Pirelli, a flamboyant character with a thick accent, funny without overdoing it.

The crew and pit orchestra held up their end of the bargain and then some. The sets looked reasonably professional and were of a good diversity, and I literally pumped my fist and hissed, “yes!” when Sternberg revealed his characteristic chair. There were a few minor mic problems, almost entirely muffling every now and then, but let’s be honest: would it really be a WJ STAGE play if there wasn’t a little bit of audio trouble? Besides, it didn’t even come close to disrupting my enjoyment of the musical. Lastly, the orchestra sounded legitimately fantastic, to the point where I can’t hear a significant difference between them and the Broadway recordings I’ve been listening to since.

The one gripe I had was with the blood packets. For several of the “deaths” there was a pretty realistic bloodstain, but there were also multiple occasions where there was either no blood or only blood on the shirt of the supposed corpse. While it was always obvious when someone died, it did detract from the realism when their throat was visibly spotless.

All in all, I loved this year’s musical, and the effort that everyone in STAGE and orchestra put into their performances was clear as Anthony’s love for Johanna. If you weren’t able to attend the tale, I strongly encourage you to make sure you don’t miss their next showing.