A musical about a barber who embarks on a throat-slitting journey of revenge is not standard Broadway fare. A re-imagining of that show into an oratorio with light action where the actors are also the pit orchestra is perhaps even less so.

But that’s exactly what John Doyle created when he revived Stephen Sondheim’s bloody classic, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” in 2005. Wednesday night, a tour of the Tony Award-winning show stopped at the Lied Center.

The staging is ambitious. All of the actors play an instrument; most play several over the course of the show. They are frequently called upon to sing while playing. From a musical viewpoint alone, the show is astounding.

The actors do move around the stage and interact with each other, but much of the action is merely suggested. This is an interpretive version of the show, and the effect is more of a dramatic concert than theater.

As for the story, it’s as gruesome as one might imagine. The sinister Judge Turpin (David Alan Marshall) falls in love with the wife of Sweeney Todd (Merritt David Janes), a barber. He has Todd deported to a penal colony in Australia and steals his wife. But she is unwilling and so poisons herself to escape him.

Turpin adopts the couple’s infant daughter Johanna as his ward. Now, 15 years later, Todd has returned to London in search of revenge. He falls in with the shady Mrs. Lovett (Carrie Cimma) and learns of his family’s fate. Turpin, meanwhile, has fallen for Johanna (Wendy Muir) and decided to marry her, but she catches the eye of Anthony (Duke Anderson), the sailor who rescued Todd and returned him to London. Todd concocts a plot to help Anthony abduct Johanna and lure Turpin to his barbershop, so he can give the judge “the closest shave he’s ever given.” It isn’t long before bodies start piling up, helpfully disposed in unique fashion by Mrs. Lovett.

The cast is stellar. Their talents vocally, instrumentally, and acting-wise are dazzling. The performance, both individually and as an ensemble, is just breathtaking. Moreover, some of the staging is terrific in its subtlety. Parallels are drawn between characters by the instruments they play. Johanna and Anthony both play cello. Sweeney Todd and Judge Turpin share trumpet duties.

If the show has a flaw it may be too symbolic. If you’ve seen “Sweeney Todd,” it’s an interesting interpretation of a familiar story. But if this is your first time, the action is difficult to follow, and it can be confusing as to who is whom (especially when certain actors play multiple roles).

Still, Doyle’s interpretation of “Sweeney Todd” is enthralling. It’s a provocative show that skillfully blurs the line between oratorio and theater.

– John R. Phythyon, Jr. is a freelance writer living in Lawrence.