The power of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” an operatic musical with dark elements, is the cadence of the language; it is often regarded as Stephen Sondheim’s best work, complex yet captivating.

The Chaminade University production, which runs this weekend and next, is accessible and affecting for both devoted and doubtful Sondheim viewers, thanks to the seasoned cast of solo principals and a seductive, substantial 20-member Greek chorus that previews and recaps plot highlights.

Yes, “Sweeney Todd,” with book by Hugh Wheeler, is grim and gory, with blood-shedding scenes made vivid by bright-red lighting effects. But the show also boasts romantic threads and some needed comedic moments. So it’s not wholly darkness, murder and mayhem.

The plot focuses on Todd, imprisoned for 15 years in Australia by a corrupt judge, who returns to his Victorian London to seek vengeance. He believes the death of his wife, Lucy, was caused by the salacious judge, who took Todd’s abandoned daughter, Johanna, as a ward with less-than-honorable intentions.

The target of his revenge, however, expands to mankind, as Todd starts slashing throats of unsuspecting victims, whose carcasses become a key ingredient in “the worst pies in London,” concocted by Mrs. Lovett, whose bakery is downstairs of his barber’s chair.

Kip Wilborn is proficient as Todd, previously known as Benjamin Barker, with voice and acting chops to withstand the mood-evoking Sondheim tunes and rhymes. “And now my arm is complete again,” he gleefully chants after he is reunited with his straight razor.

As Mrs. Lovett, who traditionally delivers her tunes with dissonance, Shari Lynn chugs along merrily as she upgrades her meat pies with victims dispatched by Todd’s razor; her mantra is “waste not, want not.” Lynn’s performance continues to upgrade her credibility as an actor-singer alongside her jazz club triumphs.

Laurence Paxton is perfection, in voice and in body language, as the flamboyant rival barber, Signor Pirelli. His scenes with Todd in a shave-off are richly nuanced and delightfully comedic.

As the young lovers, sailor-suitor Anthony Hope (portrayed by Gabriel Gia­solli) and Johanna (Riley Noland, with the voice of a nightingale) share tender moments in their steadfast duets, and David Bachler plays the wretched and wicked Judge Turpin with expected distaste.

Nicholas Meyers projects a powerful presence as Tobias Ragg, Pirelli’s elixir-selling aide and, later, Mrs. Lovett’s bakeshop ally. Terry Yocham (as the judge’s lackey, Beadle Bamford), Suzanne Green (the recurring beggar woman) and Jeffrey Brackett (asylum owner Jonas Fogg) are colorful secondary players in the sea of villagers.

A nod, too, to the resourceful chorus, comprising members of the Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble.

Director Gary E. Morris delves into the souls of his actors and tackles the text and tempos of the Sondheim score with spot-on clarity. Mark Agena’s crystal-clear sound design and the discreet yet atmospheric musical direction of Timothy Carney allow the voices to be heard.