Sweeney Todd the Musical

Richmond Operatic Society have created a thrilling, chilling and gritty musical from start to end. Performed at the beautiful Georgian Theatre, Sweeney Todd works fantastically with this space, intimate and personal from every entrance to every jumpscare. I spoke to the Chair of the North Yorkshire County Council during the production and he told me he had also thoroughly enjoyed himself seeing this production and wanted me to pass on his congratulations.

 

Lighting, which was designed by Will Gardner was fantastic, working to light an older space can be a challenge, and the creative team lit the stage well to show the mood and add to the tension. One highlight moment for me was the lighting used in ‘My Friends’, the lighting was beautiful. Through the song, it backlit Todd with increasing intensity, furthering Todd’s dark and evil thoughts to the audience. The production was given a lovely dab of detail in the props and set departments; props were used throughout and were very detailed. The mass of birds and bird cages was a favourite of mine alongside the very lifelike pies, I'm still not sure if they were real or not! The set was made from a fixed raised section at the back of the stage, making Mr Todd's Barber Shop. The other scenes were shown with key bits of set, signs or bunting to show the change of location, big shout out to Lara Vinsen as Set Manager and her crew of many set designers and builders. Costumes, organised by Suanne Hutchins as head of the Costume Department, were able to find both elaborate and fitting costumes for the time and style of the piece. All these different elements came together during the production without any issues under the watchful eye of Stage Manager Alex Caffery.

 

The role of Musical Director was given to Nigel Ball for the first time with the company. I am hoping they will work with Nigel again in the future; the harmonies and songs across the production were spotless. All of the cast had clearly been rehearsed so many times that the songs were performed in time and with vocal strength to be able to fill the auditorium.

 

Victoria Bennett directed this production, and it was one she could properly get her teeth into, given the grit and depth of the characters. She clearly directed a multilayered production with the main story on the surface and a range of multiple characters giving additional side stories throughout. The actors were all in character constantly as they all fit their roles perfectly. The action extended into the Auditorium as Victoria utilised the raised boxes on either side of the stage for the balcony scenes. The company also stood and sang around the back of the audience and the upper floor of the theatre at points, with the company enveloping the audience multiple times in the story. All the characters were directed well, and a brilliant job has been done! One directing highlight for me was seeing how the ‘Kiss me (Part 2)’ section was staged. The interweaving stories of Johanna and Anthony’s love with the scheming Judge and Beadle worked brilliantly, with slick crossing and visual storytelling at the heart of her blocking, not just here but throughout; it was a very visually pleasing watch.

 

The show was filled with interesting and different characters for us to meet, as you will be aware, I cannot write about Sweeney Todd and not mention the ‘Beggar Woman’ who gave me the fright of my life during Act 2! Jacqueline Ball as the Beggar Woman was fantastic, constantly funny, strange and chilling. She was consistent and characterful throughout, and when looking back after her true identity is revealed, I can see and understand the choices she made were part of her multilayered performance. Brodey Laundon was one of the many recurring performers who took on different roles through the production. His feature role as Pirelli was his standout performance by far; his characterisation and accents, both Italian and Irish, were spot on and portrayed the character well. Iain​​ Pearson played the hard, sly but also ruthless Beadle with style and sophistication. Using moments of humour helped to show a lighter side to the character, but it ultimately helped to show more contrast when the darker side did reappear. His singing throughout the show was clear and strong, which also helped to further his character. Russell Billingham, in the role of Judge, made me hate a character more than I ever thought was possible with his performance. His embodiment of this evil, twisted and vicious predator was a fantastic juxtaposition to Russell as a person and an acknowledgement of how well he can perform. From his outright characterisation to little looks and gestures or the tone of how he sang certain words and lines, it sent chills down my spine and made me squirm in my seat on multiple occasions.

 

The charming, witty and loyal Mrs Lovett was played superbly by Hayley Graham, Hayley’s performance as Mrs Lovett was a pleasure to watch. Her undying love for Mr Todd was protected and masked brilliantly by her humour, wit and at times her use of the dry-witted humour Mrs Lovett is known for. My favourite moment for her was the scene with Tobias in Not While I’m Around, Hayley has the ability to show Mrs Lovett’s panic around Tobias’ discovery while keeping her calm and motherly act. Her tonality, emphasis and clarity were enjoyable from the start to the end of any of her songs.

 

This brings me to John Cropper, who was playing the titular character of Sweeney Todd. Well, where to start? He was superb. One thing I learned after watching the show was that this was his first performance on stage, ever. It’s one thing to be given the main role in a musical, but to be able to perform for the first time with such quality and confidence baffled me. When performing out to the audience, he had the confidence to look everyone in the eyes, which in the Georgian Theatre is rather easy considering the proximity of seats to the stage. To be able to perform as confidently as he did with the chilling, cold and maniacal performance, sprinkled with some madness and the rare lighthearted moment, would be something expected of a seasoned performer.

 

Flo Backes played Sweeney’s daughter Johanna in this production and was perfect for the role. Her vocal performance was beautiful, despite being a high and difficult part to sing, she navigated the performance with grace and lovely tonality. Flo’s duets with Ben were one of my highlights for them; the pair’s ability to show panic and fear of the Judge before seeing it all melt away when singing to each other was shown by their brilliant use of expression. Anthony was played by Ben Fitzpatrick and was suited to the role remarkably; his characterisation of the slightly timid but very headstrong character was clear throughout. His vocal skills were in top form and to keep up with the range of songs he sang was very impressive indeed. Lastly, but certainly not least, is Arthur Martin as Tobias, not often in Sweeney Todd productions is Tobias appreciated as one of the main characters, but he made a statement in this production. Arthur showed how a quality performance, partnered with fantastic singing and brilliant on-stage relationships with others, can create such a brilliant and well-rounded character. Tobias isn’t given a lot of on-stage character development in the script, but Arthur has shown that any performer can do that themselves; Arthur brought Tobias to life on that stage, a fantastic casting of a superb actor!

I wanted to say one final well done to the whole company and cast, creative team and backstage support. A technically brilliant, visually stunning performance, which in the final number was one of the best finale numbers I have ever seen. The singing, emotion, humour, tension and drama was chilling. A huge well done to ROS and all of their cast, crew and supporting members for a truly unnerving performance!

 

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