Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Thank you all for such a warm welcome and the opportunity to be involved with the NODA awards after the show. Lyndon Warnsby (Director) had an ambitious vision for this production. He has been supported by an amazing creative team to fulfil this ambition and I commend them all. David Williams (Musical Director) I enjoyed the orchestration, you put a wonderful orchestra together, with 20 plus members. They created a wonderful sound and interpreted the dramatic score with skill. Combined with the drama, the talented voices and range of characters this Sondheim musical was chilling and satisfying.

An infamous tale, Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to nineteenth century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which, he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up... and the carnage has only just begun! Love, revenge, and murder. Sweeney Todd has become a bloody, worldwide success a tasty, thrilling, theatrical treat has simultaneously shocked, awed, and delighted audiences across the world. CAODS version this week was superb. As good, if not better than a professional show.

Helen Symonds (Costume Designer) did a wonderful job at creating the Victorian period silhouette with lots of elements that brought the era to life. The red coloured highlights on every costume, the sepia colour pallet, and the dramatic flair of the lead characters costumes brought everything together. Sweeny’s coat and Mrs Lovett’s costume were my favourites, with gorgeous attention to detail.

Simon Nicholson played Sweeny, he gave an amazing performance, a wonderful voice, great performance, characterisation, stage presence, and skill. Imogen Phillis played Mrs Lovett with real skill. Her comedic and dramatic performance were extraordinary, I really enjoyed her characterisation, the relationships she built with the other characters, and her voice was amazing. Simon and Imogen gave a wonderfully macabre duality to their roles with the push pull dynamic of pathologically damaged soles.

Karen White played the beggarwoman, her costume, stage presence and body language were exactly right for the role. Her voice was breathtakingly lyrical, and her interactions and mystery behind her character was expertly portrayed. CAODS utilised two Johanna’s, I saw Shanais Marks in the role and was captivated by her voice and acting on stage. Green Finch and Linnet Bird was so expressive. Hugh Patten (Tobias) also gave a very strong performance, excellent characterisation, and a lovely voice. Both very strong young performers.

The large ensemble did a masterful job of bringing the musical to life. The acting, choreography, and movement were well directed, and I enjoyed the way they brought individual characters within the larger scenes and both the ‘City On Fire’ and Asylum scene were particularly strong. Solid individual players worked really well together to create the right atmosphere.

Jordan Shiel (Judge) and Alan Trevor (Beadle) both gave intense performances. The role of Pirelli (Jonathan Oakeley) was superbly comic, and Billy Baxter as Anthony was soulful, romantic, and well-acted.

The set was amazing! I had the privilege of seeing the set up close after the show. The multi layered, stacked stage elements enabled you to enter from different levels and move across the stage in different directions. The colours and texture painted onto the set was clever and effective - the dirty, grimy, London street-scape was superb. (Painted by Duncan, Sophie, and Georgia from Parker Scenic & Signwriting.) I loved the red drips of blood created by hanging red bulbs over the stage and the lighting effects of skylights and smoke effects were all fantastically atmospheric. Other stage elements and props were also well made and of course the drop from Sweeney’s barber shop to the cookhouse was a startling effect. Set design Lyndon Warnsby and Ian J Marston and lighting design Bradley Caldwell, very well done. Props by Jane Bateman, Alan Trevor, Lyndon Warnsby, Simon Nicholson and Dawn Wilson. The moody, dark atmosphere was evident right from the start and loved the beautiful New Theatre Royal Lincoln, a very good match for this show. The inhouse team included Bailey Bienek, Barney Jones, and Ian J Marston.

CAODS seems to go from strength to strength. New members coming in, established members still wanting to be involved, support from life members, and a great relationship with the community.

I have run out of superlatives, this show was one of the best I have seen in East Midlands, I can’t recommend the show or the society more. Marvellous.

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