Sweeney Todd

As we entered the theatre for Sweeney Todd we were greeted with a bare stage, a street lamp and a blood-stained sheet hanging down. The atmosphere was enhanced by the sound of rain falling and distant thunder. The opening number involved the silhouette of grave diggers, and then the company set the tone with the Ballad of Sweeney Todd. The costume and the set were very impressive. There are many scenes in the show and the cube set was moved and rotated to represent different locations. There was also Judge Turpin’s House used in the street scene, The scene changes were really slick and timed well. The crew were really skilled and dressed appropriately too.

The plot follows a menacing barber who uses the alias Sweeney Todd (Julian Cottee). He has returned to London, a place he despises, to seek revenge for the loss of his wife and child. He says goodbye to his friend and companion sailor, Anthony Hope (Chris Higginson) and lodges above a pie maker named Mrs Lovett (Ami Roberts). He wants to kill Judge Turpin (Ian Benson) and find his daughter Joanna (Georgina Blackwell).

He reclaims his barbering blades, kept by the adoring Mrs Lovett, and sets himself up in business again after pitting his skills against Adolfo Pirelli (Lee Brown).

Mrs Lovett and Sweeney Todd partner up successfully. Todd kills customers who will not be missed and Lovett uses the meat to make her pies.

The movement/choreography (Becca Pooley) in this show was slick, with great use of the stage including the varying levels making the spectacle more enthralling. The costumes, wigs and make-up were authentic and the special effects, particularly of the blood splatters and the furnace/pie oven, were impressive.

The music was wonderful, led by Musical Director Alex Wood, the 15-piece orchestra really sounded special, the sound of bird song (reed section), the brass section and string section all stood out at varying times during the performance and complemented the voices of the cast.

Everyone in this production needs praise because when a show is this good it is testament not only to a great director, Tim Cater, but to a united and hard-working company.

Julian Cottee gave an imposing portrayal of Sweeney Todd, with a strong stage presence and a powerful voice. Equally strong and bewitching was Ami Roberts as Mrs Lovett. A mix of rough Londoner and woman who wants to be loved, she helped to engineer the dark and devastating plot. Ami is a strong character actor, has a wonderful vocal tone and is a pleasure to watch.

Chris Higginson and Georgina Blackwell gave equally impressive performances as Anthony and Joanna. There were echoes of Romeo and Juliet with this couple, a youthful passion, expressed through carefully observed acting and pitch-perfect vocal achievement.

Talented character actor Ian Benson played Judge Turpin. Benson played a self-centred man who coveted another man’s wife and stole her child. He imprisoned Joanna and aimed to marry her when she became a woman. His side kick, The Beadle was played by Scott McFall, he was slimy, and like Turpin used his status in the community to make his life comfortable. Both Ian and Scott sang well and unfortunately played their parts so well that the audience really wanted Sweeney Todd to kill them!

Maddy Lahna played the Beggar Woman, whom we later discover is Sweeny Todd’s estranged wife, that he believed to be dead. Maddy played a woman made mad by her trauma, disliked and abandoned by her community and misunderstood until her death when the truth is exposed.

Lee Brown portrayed Pirelli with zeal. He is initially a comic character who is purporting to be a world-famous Italian Barber; he is however a contemporary of Todd and recognises him from before he was deported. Lee has a good stage presence, and is a lively and colourful contrast to the brooding Todd.

Lewis Carlile was superb in the role of Tobias. He worked for Pirelli and was taken in by Mrs Lovett after Pirelli was murdered. We met him as a street hawker and grew to love him as a boy who felt appreciated by Lovett, only to be exploited by her too. Lewis has a wonderful voice, a clear tone, and a charming, innocent character.

There were some amazing individual performances in this production from the Chorus as well as the main cast. The harmonies and incidentals were precise and the sound levels were good. The lighting and colour palette of the show added to the oppressive atmosphere, well done to Mark Smith and Mark Oxenbury for their work in lighting and sound. The crowd scenes were great with a lot of movement and the characters were well observed even when acting in the background.

Sweeney Todd is a show about revenge and how greed, jealousy and lust are the catalyst for awful events, however the love of Joanna and Anthony see them survive and rise like a phoenix from the embers of destruction.

I really enjoyed this show, I don’t have enough words to convey how much. Thank you so much for inviting me.

 

 

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