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Show: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Society: Geoids Musical Theatre
Venue: Stockwell Playhouse
Credits: Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler from an adaptation by Christopher Bond
Type: Sardines
Performance Date: 02/05/2018
Sweeney Todd
Jess Pether | 03 May 2018 23:15pm
Photo: Stephen Russell
For anyone in the world of amateur theatre (and probably most of those in the professional game), Stephen Sondheim is a composer whose work people really love to tackle. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard people exclaim: “It’s a really tough sing, but I loved it!” We dramatic types do love a challenge.
Sondheim has, over his illustrious career, won an Oscar, eight Tonys (which is more than any other composer), eight Grammys and more awards too numerous to mention, with his best known musical probably being Sweeney Todd. His music is recognisable by its dissonance and difficult harmonies and, from personal experience, exceedingly high notes.
Because of the above, it’s always with trepidation that I settle into my seat at a production of Sweeney. I’ve seen it done professionally (amazing); done well by amateurs; and done very badly. So heading into Stockwell Playhouse to watch GEOIDS’ production, this time as a reviewer, I was a little worried.
But I needn’t have been. This production fell somewhere between the first two categories above, and was captivating from start to finish.
The story revolves around Todd (previously known as Benjamin Barker), a barber with a beautiful wife and daughter. Fifteen years previously, a local judge, Judge Turpin, had taken a fancy to Barker’s wife and after falsely arresting him, sends him out of the country. We start our story as Barker returns to London with bloody revenge on his mind.
The set is always a difficult thing to get right in Sweeney, most notably because the two main venues throughout the show are Mrs Lovett’s Pie Shop and above it, Sweeney Todd’s Tonsorial Parlour (or for those of us from the 21st century, a barber shop); the parlour being above the shop is a key component to the story. GEOIDS’ set was impressive, featuring a huge central wheel which could be turned with a handle, and housing the orchestra underneath, just visible through the woodwork. The small cast (19 people) had to use this space well, especially during crowd scenes, and I thought the direction around this was very good.
But there was one gaping hole in what was otherwise a fabulous set… no mechanical barber’s chair! A trademark of all Sweeney shows is usually an epic contraption of a chair that allows Sweeney to slit the throat of his victim, press a lever and whoosh! Down a chute the victim goes, landing under the stage. I couldn’t see any set up of this when I sat down and thought that unless the murdered cast members were going to land on the orchestra’s head, no chair was likely to appear. Perhaps it just wasn’t possible in this theatre, or within budget, but having to watch each victim get up and walk off stage was a little disappointing.
The cast did use a very interesting technique throughout the show however to represent things that were difficult to show, and that technique was paper. All Mrs Lovett’s pies were made from paper; the green finch that Sweeney’s daughter Joanna sings to was made of paper; and at one point, huge rolls of paper were dramatically pulled out from under the stage, torn apart and used by the cast to create a maze of white, through which people chased. To help make each victim’s death seem more real, each customer would pay and their money ripped apart and sprinkled over the stage. It was a nice metaphor and I liked the consistent and clever use of the paper.
The ensemble were exceedingly strong and produced a good and clear sound which gave me goose bumps on more than one occasion. Mrs Lovett (Maria Waters) managed to extract the comedy from the part well and she grew on me throughout the show. I think she settled down and seemed more comfortable in the second act, with By the Sea being a particular highlight. Other strong performances came from Richard Upton as Anthony, who had a wonderful voice; Barry O’Reilly as Tobias; and Emma Morgan as the Beggar Woman, which is a part you have to throw yourself into and be extremely confident to play. But stealing the show for me was Joe Brown as Pirelli. This is such a hard part to get right, not least because he has to hit some ridiculously high notes, and rarely have I seen it done so well. He was hilarious, his bright blue costume a pleasant contrast to the beige of the rest.
I of course must mention the lead, Thomas Isherwood as Sweeney Todd. His bio states that he is a freelance opera singer and his voice was fantastic. I cannot fault the way he sang the show and I can see why he was cast. I did think he was a little young for the part, and it didn’t seem as if any make-up had been added to age him… for having been in prison for 15 years, he looked extremely well! There were times when his acting really worked, but I don’t think he was always sinister enough. He did have a very good “dead behind the eyes” expression, but something extra was needed to add that additional level of fear to the character.
The production overall was extremely professional, well directed and well sung. The cast and crew should be very proud of what they produced, and I wish them luck for the rest of the run.
Photo: Stephen Russell
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- : 02/05/2018