Romero makes triumphant return to stage

PHIL CAMPBELL — When Jonathon Romero first walked out as Sweeney Todd during the show’s opening weekend, it marked a triumphant return to the stage after stepping away from community theater for several years.

The distance alone had kept him from taking the spotlight — he lives in Haleyville, teaches in Phil Campbell, and commutes to rehearsals in Sheffield. Still, for “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Romero made an exception.

For the seasoned musician and Northwest Shoals Community College instructor, the opportunity to play one of Stephen Sondheim’s most complex characters outweighed the late nights, long drives, and early mornings that became his routine during November.

Romero, a Louisiana native and longtime music educator, has spent much of his career behind the scenes. He began in the orchestra pit during graduate school at Middle Tennessee State University, later conducting musical productions in Mississippi before eventually directing student shows at NWSCC.

His first community production in the Shoals came in 2021, when he was cast in “Jekyll and Hyde” at the Shoals Community Theatre in Florence. He soon stepped away, however, realizing the commute would make future productions difficult.

“When ‘Sweeney Todd’ came up, I was like, yeah. I’m committing to this,” Romero said. “It’s been one of my dream roles because it’s one of my favorite musicals. I’ve always been drawn to characters that have tragic stories. They’re not completely good and not completely evil. Sweeney is a very bad person, but you can understand the decisions he’s made. You see a man who’s been broken.”

For Romero, the character’s emotional unraveling holds personal resonance. He lives with chronic nerve pain, and while he doesn’t equate his experience to Todd’s, he recognizes pieces of that inner struggle reflected onstage.

“There’s a sort of mental battle,” he said. “Different aspects of my nerve pain are represented through these characters and the way they interact. These stories of people pushed beyond their limits. You see them at their very worst times, and they’re just trying to survive.”

Romero is one of three actors who shared the title role in the ambitious production, which spans two weekends at Cypress Moon Studios in Sheffield. The show’s director, Lily Holly Retherford, made the unusual decision to triple-cast the lead after nearly 100 hopefuls turned out for auditions — an extraordinary number for community theater in the area.

“I loved the different versions of Sweeney that I saw,” Retherford said. “I was definitely blown away, and I was so impressed by the talented people who showed up. There’s been a lot of hard work and dedication put into this show.”

Romero performs in Thursday, Friday and Saturday productions, while understudy Josh Davis takes on the role on Sunday.

Romero sees his version of Todd as “the break,” or the moment where Sweeney’s emotional extremes collide and overtake him.

“I sort of take the real psychotic snap of Sweeney,” he explained. “Showing that dichotomy — the anger and vengeance alongside that contemplation. I don’t know how to describe it.”

Despite their differences, the three actors share a collaborative spirit, often borrowing gestures, emotional cues, or character beats from one another.

“I have the way I think of the character, and even though I watch their performances and realize those aren’t interpretations I would make, it still makes sense in the way they perform it. Those interpretations aren’t wrong. They’re just different,” Romero said. “It’s a really cool thing to see, especially when you’re part of the same show. You can take things and go, ‘Oh, that would really work for my version if I just tweak it this way a little bit.’” For Romero, the return to the stage has meant embracing a demanding schedule. His days begin at WANT TO GO?

DETAILS: The Full Moon Players present one of the darkest musicals ever written. “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is the unsettling tale of a Victorianera barber who returns home to London after 15 years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who ruined his life. When revenge eludes him, Sweeney swears vengeance on the entire human race.

WHEN: Showtimes are at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-13, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14.

WHERE: Cypress Moon Studios, 1000 Alabama Ave. in Sheffield TICKETS: Advance tickets are $20, and may be purchased at https://cypressmoonstudios. org/. Tickets at the door are $25.

5:45 a.m. to make time for dropping his daughter off at school before his own class schedule begins. After work, he heads straight to rehearsal, often not arriving back home until 10:30 or 11 p.m.

“It’s exhausting,” he admits. “But it’s worth it. This is a fun show that doesn’t get done often because it’s incredibly difficult. It’s a huge undertaking, and this cast is doing it very well.”