Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd: a masterpiece by Stephen Sondheim which demands expertise from the players in every area, from complex music and lyrics, to working out how to dispatch one body after another in a convincing manner. So to say that Bishop’s Stortford Musical Theatre Company had given themselves a challenge, would be a massive understatement.

However, the show opened in such a stunning fashion, that it was obvious from the first moment the audience would be in for a treat. David Rutter used his directorial skills to ensure that this would not be a run-of-the-mill interpretation. He brought out the darkly menacing qualities of Sondheim’s story, while still being at ease with the comedic elements, even allowing the audience to feel a certain occasional empathy with the demonic character of Sweeney Todd, as Sondheim subtly revealed his backstory.

The performance began at the docks of East London. The ensemble came on to the stage one by one, creating a brilliantly choreographed tableau that sent a shiver into the audience. The sense of foreboding generated from the music and singing was enhanced by the extremely impressive lighting of Mike Penketh and Thomas Penketh. Some of the characters were lit to make it look like they had white, ghostly faces and the recurring red lighting as the story progressed was demonically effective as a backdrop to the horrors being acted out. The lighting was also effective in replacing the need to have stage blood everywhere. It was obvious there were multiple murders taking place, and fake blood would have made it too slapstick and messy.

The ingenious set, designed by Granville Rush and built by Doug Sheppard and Mike Richards meant that the performers could fill the stage, using not only the length and breadth of it, but also the height. There were a lot of performers, but it was so well staged that it never felt crowded. The set was original and bold, perhaps not appealing to the purists in the audience, as it was deliberately untraditional, creating a suggestion of old London but with a contemporary industrial feel. The scaffolding that was a necessary part of it, to allow for the barber’s shop and Joanna’s balcony to be elevated, was therefore left exposed, to give a timeless element to the setting. This had the effect of adding to the unease of the story itself.

It was essential that the removal of Todd’s victims could be swift and seamless as indeed it was, thanks to the design of the set, allowing the cast members to be disposed of with the touch of a lever on the impressive barber’s chair, so that they cleverly disappeared from the upper level without the audience being aware of how it was done. The timing was perfect, getting the chair in the correct position each time with no break in the action. This was commendable in itself, made even more praiseworthy considering that this was the first time the society had created their set themselves, rather than hiring in the scenery.

The scene changes were slick and well executed and it was refreshing to note that whoever was helping, blended in by wearing Victorian costume, rather than standing out as stage hands often do.

In deliberate contrast to the set, the costumes were chosen to accurately portray the Victorian London of the story. They created an excellent look, which was enhanced by the imaginative makeup with other-wordly black around the eyes. Two little details that detracted from the action were the Judge wearing a wedding ring (presumably forgotten by the actor rather than belonging to the character) which was very noticeable during the scene when he was asking his ward to marry him, and the ill-fitting bald wig worn by an ensemble member during Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir scene. As the character was a semi-hidden member of the crowd, it would not have mattered had there been no bald wig, rather than one that pulled focus away from the main action for the wrong reasons.

There were too many cast members to mention by name, but they all contributed to a magnificent show. Hayley Gillies must be congratulated for her convincing performance as a crazed beggar woman while managing at the same time to sing so perfectly. John Quick successfully entertained with his fake Italian barber cameo, more than ably supported by Noah Tucker as Tobias Ragg, who gave an excellent performance throughout the show. Oli Budino made the most of his role as the nasty sidekick of the Judge, with comedic interludes that were brilliantly performed. Becky Faulkner proved yet again how versatile an actor she is, making what were some very difficult musical numbers look effortless in her vibrant performance. Daniel Abbott filled the auditorium with his dark, deep singing and menacing presence. His strong performance was praiseworthy even without the knowledge that he took on the role somewhat later than the rest of the cast.

The ensemble were well directed and generally gave excellent performances, although there were occasional scenes when one or two stood out as over-reacting to the main action, which became distracting, while some others were hardly reacting at all.

The orchestration was second to none, Musical Directors Gerald Hindes and Paul Garner creating a show that any musician would be proud of. Often, when there is a live orchestra, they can overwhelm the singing if it is not strong enough. This was most definitely not the case with Sweeney Todd. The diction and volume and quality of the singing was fantastic, as was the pace and energy during those difficult numbers. Sondheim was almost over generous with his use of counterpoint and polyphony, but none of the actors were fazed by the complexity of the compositions, everything flowing seamlessly and with gusto.

So everyone who contributed to this show should congratulate themselves on what was a joy to watch and listen to. The challenge certainly paid off.

 

          

 

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