No matter which way you slice it, Sweeney Todd stays fresh. Stephen Sondheim's musical took Broadway audiences to places they had never been when it premiered in 1979, winning eight Tonys (including Best Musical) for treating a dark subject — the legend of the murderous barber Sweeney Todd and his pie-baking accomplice Mrs. Lovett — with savage wit and soaring melody. Tim Burton took Johnny Depp places he'd never been in the exultantly blood-drenched Oscar-winning film version. And in 2005, director John Doyle found a completely new way to stage Sweeney: a stark, stripped-down approach in which the ensemble serves as both cast and orchestra. Reviews of his revival were ecstatic — as they have been for the touring version that comes to Mahaffey and stars Broadway stalwarts David Hess and Judy Kaye, who apparently plays a mean tuba. (Yes, this Mrs. Lovett can do more than make a meat pie.) May 6-11, 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Wed., 7:30 and 2 p.m. Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg, $30-$70, 727-898-2100, BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.
