From demon barber to angelic outreach: Actor Noah Beemer discusses TIFT’s immersive “Sweeney Todd” and his work with Beyond Melodies

Do you think you know Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street? Think again, says actor Noah Beemer. And thanks to Talk Is Free Theatre’s newly-imagined interpretation, Toronto audiences will experience what he’s talking about up close and personal this summer.

Over its 20 years, Barrie-based Talk Is Free Theatre, under the Artistic Producership of Founder Arkady Spivak, has become renowned for innovative storytelling and immersive productions performed nationally and internationally. And the company’s site-specific Sweeney Todd is no exception, as the belovedly gruesome murder musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler will not run on a static stage.

TIFT previously produced the musical as part of their 2018 The Curious Voyage — a transcontinental three-day experience which brought audiences from Barrie, Ontario, to London, UK, and back. The company was readying a site-specific remount in Toronto in the spring of 2020 when the pandemic hit. Two years later, the production has been reimagined again, specifically for its venue. This time, it is being performed in a mobility-accessible “promenade style” that will require an audience to follow the story by exploring different parts of the Neighbourhood Food Hub at Glen Rhodes Campus. A unique and unexpectedly intimate experience with the classic work and its characters awaits.

The production is directed by Mitchell Cushman, with musical direction by Dan Rutzen and choreography by Cameron Carver. The cast features some of Canada’s best known performers of musical theatre, including TIFT’s Artistic Director Michael Torontow in the title role, Glynnis Ranney as Mrs Lovett and Beemer as Tobias – the same role that he played while a high-school student!

A graduate of Sheridan’s Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance Program, Beemer is becoming a welcome fixture on Canadian stages. His growing list of credits include Gabriel in Eclipse Theatre’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, a scene-stealing turn as Lampwick in Young People’s Theatre’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, and several productions by TIFT, including David Hare’s The Judas Kiss in December. Audiences will remember him as Jack in last year’s TIFT production of James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods in Concert at Barrie’s Saltwater Provincial Park (yes, in the actual woods) and then at Toronto’s Winter Garden Theatre in November.

A passionate advocate of community and connection, Beemer co-founded Beyond Melodies with five fellow music-theatre performance graduates of Sheridan College during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way to bring joy through music to people in care facilities and beyond. The company’s aim is to uplift lives, build meaningful connections, and share the power of music with those who are most isolated. Through their musical skills and vast repertoire of music, they provide customized performances with the simple aim to create a space of connection, fun and music.

Days ahead of the preview of Sweeney Todd, SesayArts Magazine had the pleasure of a Q&A session with the friendly and forthcoming Beemer about this innovative interpretation of Sweeney Todd, his joy of working at Beyond Melodies . . . and his lifelong relationship with tofu!

SM: Tell us a little about you and why you chose to pursue a career in theatre.

NB: I’ve wanted to pursue a career as an actor for pretty much as long as I can remember. Some of my first memories are singing and learning the choreography to songs from old movie musicals like “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Meet me in St. Louis” at around the age of 4. I’d like to think I nailed that choreo and have been pretty much dead set ever since. I was also lucky enough to grow up working with an incredible community theatre company in Windsor called Korda Artistic Productions. They are wild and wacky and the most supportive – check them out if you’re ever in the area! 

SM: What would you like us to know about this interpretation of Sweeney Todd. What will the audience experience at the performance (other than getting a fair bit of exercise)?

NB: Without giving too much away, I would say that this will be an entirely unique theatre experience. The space, which is beautiful, adds so much life and texture to the show, and the concept Mitchell Cushman and Cameron Carver have executed is absolute magic (at times, scary black magic). I would also say that for anyone who is intimidated by the prospect of seeing an immersive show, know that this production accommodates everyone’s comfort levels/needs. The audience is encouraged to choose their own adventure – sitting back and observing if they’d like, or taking part in the action. Overall it’s a pretty exciting way to be meeting theatre again after a little while away.

SM: You mentioned that your role, Tobias, is the same one that you played in your high-school production. That’s fun! What still attracts you to the role, and what is your approach to the character this time around?

NB: So fun! The last time I did the show was with the previously mentioned community theatre company, and I was around 16 years old. It’s definitely a trip coming back to it almost a decade later. Ever since I first became aware of the show, Tobias was the character that I felt most connected to, and that remains the same now. I admire his absolute radical kindness and unwavering love despite his circumstances.

My perception of the world at large has definitely shifted since I was 16 (yay for that), and so the show hits for me in a much more visceral way. Things like generational trauma, cycles of abuse and systemic oppression weren’t exactly issues I really had my finger on the pulse of as a teenager, however now, with a housing crisis and cost of living in Toronto growing to an unachievable place, the concept that “those above will serve those down below” does feel pretty gratifying.

SM: I read about Beyond Melodies, the project you cofounded and also browsed the website. What a wonderful idea for outreach and connection! Please talk a little about what catalyzed the idea for the project, what the response to it has been, any memorable moments… and anything else that you would like to share.

NB: The inspiration came just over a year ago, when a small group of my friends and I realized how disproportionately the pandemic was affecting those most isolated, specifically folks living in care facilities. The six of us who make up Beyond Melodies all went to school together for music theatre, and so we thought we could use those skills to bring joy and connection to people living in care.

The response has been pretty wonderful, we’ve performed virtually for facilities all across Canada and in person throughout the GTA. We’ve also received some incredible support from different donors and sponsorships, and actually just received a grant through Toronto Arts Council to spend a month touring to facilities around the city free of charge!

There have been so many special memories; every session we have people up on their feet dancing and singing along which is so fun… I recently sang a little duet of “Some Enchanted Evening” with a resident which was super special. If anyone reading this wants to know more, they can visit our website at beyondmelodies.com or check out our Instagram @beyondmelodiesco.

SM: What question do you wish I had asked you that I didn’t (and what is the answer)?

NB: Your questions were perfect! Don’t think I have anything else to add, other than that I hope people will come out to the show! 🙂

Fast Five with Noah Beemer

1. What book have you read recently that you’d recommend?

There There by Tommy Orange.

2. What’s something you can’t live without?  

Tofu.

3. What’s a pleasant surprise you’ve had recently?

The new season of Selling Sunset being added on Netflix.

4. Tell us something about you that might surprise us.

I was raised entirely vegan (hence the tofu answer).

5. If you could give some advice to your teenage self, what would you tell him?

Care less!!!

Reserve tickets for TIFT’s thrilling production of Sweeney Todd here.

© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2022