Barbershops and pie shops are not too common on this side of the pond, but look to 19th century London for a daring tale of a demon barber, mysterious meat pies and a dangerous love triangle.

For those looking for entertainment during Dad’s Weekend, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is perfect. There will be blood and romance enough to share for parents and students alike in this post-Halloween excursion.

“It is a story about obsession,” said Anthony Luetkenhaus, the artistic director of RTOP Theatre. “A need for revenge that makes a man so blinded he loses sight of his humanity. Sweeney does all the wrong things for very good reasons.”

There are countless stories about revenge, but none so masterfully crafted as Sweeney Todd. Jealousy, deceit, corruption, love, murder and obsession are woven into the complex, intertwined storylines of the musical based on Hugh Wheeler’s book of the same name.

The 1979 original Broadway production of Sweeny Todd is regarded by many as Stephen Sondheim’s best musical. So much so that Sweeney Todd has inspired composers of other musicals.

John Rich, the director of Sweeney Todd at RTOP theatre, said he has always wanted to direct this musical. The passion for the music and its story is shown in his knowledge of Sweeney Todd and its history.

“All you have to do is compare Sweeney Todd to Les Miserables, Phantom of The Opera, just to name a couple of well-known musicals that borrowed from this work,” he said.

The music is dissonant, emotional, and moving. Sweeny Todd is more than what the Tim Burton-directed, Hollywoodized version of this musical could achieve in just two hours. There is more to the story than what the film portrayed.

“Sweeney Todd is such an emotional and beautiful show whose music emotes just as intensely as its words,” said Cammi Smith, the music director of the production.

The RTOP will perform Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 4-8 and Nov. 11-15. Special matinee performances will occur in addition to the evening shows at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, 8, 14 and 15, all at the RTOP Theatre in Moscow.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for children under 12. See http://www.rtoptheatre.org/#!current-production/cb3i for more details.