The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

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Have you seen this movie?  I haven't.  I personally have a low tolerance for blood and gore, so I steered clear of this rendition of the musical Sweeney Todd.  I did, however, go to a high school version of this musical while visiting my hometown last week.  It was choreographed by one of my closest friend's mom.  I was very curious to see how they would tone down such a dark musical to make it ok for high school.  I found out the music is slowed down a little, the language is cleaned up, and some of the darkest subjects are glossed over.  I just have to say if you know much about Sondheim (the composer of Sweeney Todd) you know that he is seriously messed up in the head.  I don't know how he comes up with what he does.  His music is brilliant, but I still think he's slightly deranged.

The particular performance that I saw blew me away in terms of talent.  I could not believe how talented the kids were.  The rhythms, tempos and huge vocal range in Sondheim's music are so incredibly difficult and the kids nailed it.  I was particularly floored by the two leads (Sweeney Todd & Mrs. Lovett).  They had the "it" factor - amazing vocals, great stage presence, and fabulous comedic timing.

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I think my question is whether or not Sweeney Todd is appropriate for high school.  The entire focus is a man's lust for revenge.  He murders person after person until he murders the person (his wife- who he didn't recognize) that he thought he was avenging.  He then in turn is murdered.  His assistant twists truth to get to him and in the end she loses her life as well.  The entire musical is extremely dark although there is quite a bit of dark humor, so it's not always extremely intense.  The school board actually read through the score, because it was so controversial.  Would you have approved it for your high school?  My high school performed things like A Streetcar Named Desire and Grease, which both involve "adult issues," so where is the line?  When does it become too much?   I know as a director I would have personally chosen a different musical.  There are so many wonderful musicals out there that I would have just steered clear from the controversy, but the jury is still out about where to draw the proverbial line on what is and isn't appropriate for high school.  What do you think?