Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd has been deemed as not only one of Sondheim’s most commercial shows but also as one of his most complex and demanding musicals, fortunately ‘All Saints Musical Productions’ proved they were up to the task.

John Wood is terrifyingly sinister as Mr. Todd - the menacing ex-convict burning with hate. John delivers a bubbling rage which compelled in all the right places, his performance both as an actor and musically was faultless, exciting and inspiring!

Beth Hughes plays the greedy and lovesick pie-maker, Mrs. Lovett with such a high calibre displaying a perfect balance between the unhinged brute and comedienne – her little asides had me grinning, despite the morbid subject of the songs – John & Beth were magic together and relished every moment.

I was also wowed by the very powerful chorus – usually relegated to quietly harmonising at the back, here they almost act as an unwritten principal character, cleverly suggested as Sweeney’s ghosts following and haunting him while also narrating the show with fixed, glaring stares out to the audience, all adding to the chilling ambiance.

Matt Concannon as Anthony & Eleanor Maxwell as Joanna both demonstrated good acting ability as their characters were evidently clear and delivered as well as could be expected, however, Eleanor’s vocals were occasionally sharp and Anthony’s pronunciation of ‘Joanna’ (in what some people may say is this show’s most recognisable number) was Jo’H’anna – an inadvertent mistake which can unfortunately have grating results.

The multi-level stage set by Dave Bamford is also worth mentioning, as it wonderfully evokes the dimly lit and grimy streets of London’s early Victorian East End, while a cleverly designed raised platform is used to great effect for the gory death scenes.

Here’s one for the props team; one of my many bugbears is seeing an actor miming half a prop, if you’re having a jug of water as a prop, put water in the jug; especially if the actor is required to poor the liquid into a cup then drink it - Such an unintentional oversight not only makes the actor look absurd it breaks any sense of realism in their performance.

This production had great strength from a fantastic supporting cast; my particular favourites were  Chris Addington as Pirelli adding some welcome light relief and demonstrating a stunning tenor voice and lofty characterisation which hit the mark. Matthew Roughley  as the naive Tobias who brought out the disturbing simplicity of the character to great effect, and finally, Kim Connor as the Beggar Woman who had the appropriate physicality, a graceless manor and strong vocal support which contributed to a well-rounded performance.

This show was under the exceptional supervision of Musical Director, Steven Mercer. Steven’s orchestra could very well have been a recording, the sound was so well balanced, I've not heard an orchestra as strong as this in an amateur show for some time. Steven’s chorus were vocally outstanding and he kept the show moving with ease.   

It came as no surprise to learn that this show is what director, Adam Whittle, calls his favourite musical – which is always a good start!

Adam’s passion for the show was evident, he’d created some striking moments with the help of some fabulous lighting effects and it was clear he’d spent time working the whole cast to create the exact mood and tone he wanted.

This was a solid production which the entire cast, production team and committee should be immensely proud of, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and as far as musicals go this year, this has certainly raised the bar!

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