Mrs. Lovett, the nefarious meat-pie baker in Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" - now being presented by The Encore Musical Theatre Company - affectionately calls the title character Mr. T several times throughout the show.

So in the spirit of this nickname, I'll simply say, "I pity the fool that misses this production."

Cheesy, perhaps, but nonetheless true. "Todd" is the Encore's fifth musical production since opening its doors in February, and taken as a whole, it demonstrates both the high quality that the Encore is capable of and how far the fledgling company has come toward realizing its ambitious vision.

Specifically, pairing seasoned professional actors (often from New York) in lead roles while filling out the cast with talented local amateurs. The formula has thus far proved hit-and-miss, depending on the show, but with "Todd," the Encore has found a great fit.

With a book by Hugh Wheeler, and music and lyrics by Sondheim, "Todd" tells the story of the title character (Walter ONeil), a barber who returns to London after being wrongfully exiled and separated from his wife and daughter 15 years earlier. Bent on taking revenge on his nemesis, Judge Turpin (Paul Hopper), Todd sets up shop in the space above a fleabag pie shop run by Mrs. Lovett (Sarah Litzsinger), who has harbored a crush on Todd since he left.

The show suffered minor missteps on opening night. Though Dan Walker’s lighting design was sound, the production’s spotlight went missing, or was misplaced, on a few occasions. And although Sally Converse-Doucette’s contemporary, goth costumes (clearly taking a page from Tim Burton’s recent film adaptation of “Todd”) worked fine overall, Thalia Schramm’s dress, while playing Todd’s wife Lucy in a flashback, was too short and out-of-step with the show’s overall look. (Schramm, who plays Todd’s daughter Johanna, also wears a school uniform at one point, which is puzzling since her guardian, Judge Turpin, reportedly keeps her locked up in his home.)

Many will likely find fault with the bloodlessness of director Dan Cooney’s production - not one red drop appears on Todd’s knives or the actors, and this makes watching the show a far less viscerally squeamish affair. Yes, I’ll admit that in key moments, I looked for that slash of red, that tangible evidence of real violence and its consequences. Most of the time, though, I was so wrapped up in Sondheim’s lyrics and the story that I quickly got over it and moved on.

For while Sondheim’s lyrics are dense and complex, Encore’s strong cast delivers them with meticulous clarity (no small feat), thanks to the efforts of music director Tyler Driskill.

Perhaps no one conveys more humor and emotion than Broadway veteran Litzsinger, who commits to the unholy union of horror and comedy that is the heart of the show. With her fantastic voice on full display, Litzsinger is at her most hilarious while singing “A Little Priest” (a highlight, too, for ONeil) and “By the Sea.”

Cooney, meanwhile, makes the most of Walker’s terrific set, staging small moments up behind the audience, as well as on a raised walkway that runs along one side of the theater. These choices literally put the crowd in the middle of the action, which is disarming and, well, pretty cool, despite a few awkward transitions (there's no trap door for Todd’s victims, so often, after they’re killed, you watch them rise and leave the stage).

Diana Obradovich’s choreography, like Driskill’s orchestra, subtly enhances “Todd”’s numbers and never threatens to overwhelm Encore’s small space, which is key. For when the theater opened its doors earlier this year, Cooney conveyed his wish to stage musicals in a stripped-down, “back to basics” way, so that audiences could sit back and really absorb a show’s story, as well as its music and lyrics. On that score, “Todd” more than admirably hits the mark.