Technician by day, demon barber by night stars in Charlotte stage production

To his coworkers, Chris Smeltzer manufactures and works on control panels that are primarily for motors and functions of industrial machines.

He is also pursuing a professional IT career. He loves his tech career, but Smeltzer decided to pursue a newfound passion nearly six years ago — musical theater.

Now 27 years old, Smeltzer has already worked with Theatre Charlotte and performed at his local theater in Belmont. After landing his first role prior to the COVID pandemic, he faced theater closures and soon realized that he missed being on stage. Following this new dream, Smeltzer found a vocal coach and started working on it.

His next goal was to audition for an open casting call that Queens University had announced for “Sweeney Todd.” He had his sights set on the lead role.

Despite being a late-blooming thespian, Smeltzer will star as Sweeney Todd in the school’s premiere of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” opening April 4.

Directed by Laurence Cox with music direction by Justin Smith, Queens University students and local community members are part of a large cast that will surprise audiences new to the university’s performing arts offerings.

It is a show of blood and dark secrets. Sweeney Todd is a vengeful barber who will do anything to quench his thirst for revenge.

Mrs. Lovett, played by Kel Williams, resides in the shop below him, and together they form a wicked team. Their tale of secrets and betrayals leads to murder and mayhem. The only thing that pulls the audience out of the haunting atmosphere are the perfectly timed comedic reliefs.

At the show’s press event last week, Cox explained that “This show tries to fool the audience into thinking it’s comedy right up until it isn’t ... it’s going to be a bit of a roller coaster for the audience, they’re going to be laughing one minute and then not realizing that they’re holding their breath for a little while.”

Smeltzer shared that it is a significant emotional commitment to get into character for such an intense role.

“When it comes to this show, my approach was having a deep knowledge of the subject matter,” he said. “It’s one thing knowing your lyrics, it’s one thing knowing your songs — for this, you need to know everything.”

To perfect his performance, Smeltzer did extensive research on the show and his character. Cox shared that Smeltzer’s commitment is just one of the many reasons he was chosen. Another was his ability to tackle the first song of the show, as it is said to be extremely challenging, both technically and emotionally.

Cox said, “You have to go there completely. If you hold back on a moment like this the magic is broken.” Smeltzer achieves that.

Part of the production’s beauty is its commitment to the Gambrell Center for Arts and Civic Engagement, its home for two nights this past week. The production is made possible by a cast and crew of more than 80 people, half of whom are Queens University students and the other half are members of the greater community.

“It was very much a part of the mission of this building when they reopened it in 2020, that this be a place where students can work creatively and also connect and open up to the community,” Smith said.

This diversity of cast members also had a promising effect on the team dynamics.

“Most of these students encounter me as Sweeney Todd; I think they’re scared of me,” Smeltzer said, half joking.

Queens student Jet Francis, who plays the role of Jonas Fogg, chimed in, “You’re up on the podium, you’re staring down at us. As an ensemble, it’s terrifying; I look up and see you glaring at me.”

The moment shared during a recent press event at the Knight School of Communication is just one example of the close-knit relationships that have been built in such a short time. The cast has been rehearsing since January but had to stage the performance in less than two weeks. That meant nine- to 12-hour days for many. Cox said that generally this type of production has eight to 10 weeks of staging.

At one point, Smith said the theater really is a safe place for people to come together and share unapologetic passion and commitment for live theater.

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” will be performed at the Gambrell Center at Queens University of Charlotte on April 5 at 7:30 p.m. and April 6 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. For more information, visit https://calendar.queens.edu/event/queens-university-presents-sweeney-todd-demon-barber-of-fleet-street

This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 10:03 AM.