Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

On entering the auditorium, for Sweeney Todd, the first thing that the audience is hit with is action on the stage!  Instead of having shut curtains, the waiting audience were greeted with a (sort of) “mini-show” on the stage before the main event.  This was a lovely idea and really allowed the audience to get a good view of the stage and the characters before the show started.  I am not sure if the “mini-show” was scripted or improvised but, either way, it was very entertaining and made a big difference to staring at a curtain.  As mentioned, it gave the audience a clear, early view of the staging and what fantastic staging it was.  Hired from Scenic Projects, of Great Yarmouth, the scenery was suitably grimy, grim and dark and effectively gave the impression of the dark back streets of 18th century London, this was improved greatly when the lighting (by Danny Norris and The Octagon Staff) was added, which really lifted the whole staging to another level, especially the lighting that came from the side of the stage.  I was also impressed with the way the set was used, Mrs Lovett’s Pie Shop seemingly just appearing from behind a hidden door, which helped make the scene changes very swift and smooth.  Equally impressive was the way that Todd’s barber shop was seemingly cut in two allowing us to see inside.

The costumes, by Bath Theatrical Costume House, were stunning and added to Emily Worsdale’s make-up gave an amazing overall look. This was definitely notable with the pre-money version of Mrs Lovett, who looked very grotesque and grubby.  Brilliant.

So we have established that the look of the show was faultless but, there is no point having a beautiful looking piece if the music, singing and choreography, let the side down.  Well, as is the case with a YOAS production, that didn’t happen.  The orchestra, under the control of Lynne Merrifield, provided a beautifully rich sound that didn’t overpower the cast at all.  The choreography throughout the production was great and all the players seemed to be in perfect rhythm with each other and then there was the singing, WOW! What a pleasure it was to be in the audience for this production, the singing was at another level.  All the chorus members sung beautifully, making the rather tricky Sondheim score sound full and rich and layered with many different but discernible parts.  However, when you have a chorus that is littered with actors that can lead and have led a production, such as Jennifer Holland-Brewer; Liz Stallard; Jay Westaway and of course the fantastic Luke Whitchurch, to name but a few, then you are already onto a winner.  Having that quality in the chorus, must put some pressure on the principals but, if it did, you would never have known.  All the principals had lovely singing voices but the voices of Kristine Champion and Edward Creswick were just out of this world and their voices worked so well together.  Edward’s voice, in particular, had a stunning operatic quality to it and was just beautiful to listen to.

So, great look, great singing, so what about the acting?  Well, again, faultless, everyone was fantastic in their roles and they all worked so well together.  Zack Welfare was incredibly funny, and stole several scenes, as Adolfo Pirelli as did Kristine Champion as the grim and grimy Mrs Lovett.  Edward Creswick gave a mesmerising portrayal of Sweeney Todd and I, and I imagine the whole audience, could have watched Edward and Kristine interact all night – their chemistry just exploding off the stage.  Special mention must also go to young Lewis Ward who played Tobias Ragg with a maturity well beyond his years, I can only imagine I will have the privilege of watching Lewis develop, over the following years, into a fine lead actor.  However, for me the stand out actor on the night was Steve Harland-Brassington, I adored his campy portrayal of The Beadle and I felt it added a level of contrast with the bleak darkness of the other characters.

Overall, this was a tremendous production and it was a real pleasure to watch.  Although, it would be fair to say it wasn’t without its odd faults, although mostly minor.  A little slip up with one of the scene changes, wouldn’t have been noticeable if the other scene changes were not so slick and smooth.  However, the biggest issue with this production was down to the sound quality, by Northern Lights Productions.  It’s funny, as a Noda Rep I see productions in big theatres and small village hall’s and, nearly, every production I have seen in The Octagon has had some sound issues.  This time, there were the odd microphones that were not turned up quick enough (therefore missing the first few words of songs) and occasional crackly mics but, the strangest issue, there was also the clear sound of backstage walkie talkies coming out over the speaker system!  Really weird and strangely something that has happened in previous productions at The Octagon.  Are these little slip-ups enough to ruin an other-wise strong production?  No, not at all.  Thank you so much YAOS a really great and strong show and one that I thoroughly enjoyed, well done and what a bench mark to try and beat for the future!

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