SWEENEY TODD - THEATRE REVIEW (UK Tour)

S W E E N E Y T O D D : T H E D E M O N B A R B E R O F F L E E T S T R E E T

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Birmingham Hippodrome (UK Tour)

★★★★

THEATRE | Kyle Pedley

RAZOR-SHARP, CHANCES ARE YOU'LL LOVETT...

It’s safe to say there have been a healthy dose of re-imaginings and reinventions of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘musical thriller’ Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and never more so than in recent years. From the 2008 Tim Burton movie headed up with an Oscar-nominated turn from Johnny Deep (naturally), to 2012’s multi Olivier-winning West End revival with Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, and even ENO’s own concert take earlier this year starring Emma Thompson, Sweeney shows no signs of shutting up shop any time soon. The enduring popularity of this schlocky black comedy behemoth of a musical is scarcely surprising, not only by dint of it offering a tonally darker and distinctly more visceral and gothic experience than most of its contemporaries, but also thanks to a score and soundtrack from maestro Sondheim which is as characterful, rousing and mischievously wicked as ever.

This latest interpretation on the musical tale of a murderous barber is courtesy of the Welsh National Opera, whose influence can be felt at the offset thanks to their opulent, faultless approach to staging design. WNO regularly bring productions of stunning scale and scope to the stage, and their take on Todd is no exception. Colin Richmond’s set and Chris Davey’s lighting are almost the stars of the show - this Sweeney’s London filtered through a more modern premise and the overt period aesthetic of previous adaptations (particularly Burton’s) are shed in favour of a slightly more contemporary Cockney look and feel. See as Paul Charles Clarke’s Pirelli haphazardly honks onto stage from the back of a run down three-wheeler two degrees of separation away from something the Trotter’s wouldn’t be seen dead in, or Mrs Lovett’s pie shop an all-too-familiar nod in look and feel to a modern city centre greasy spoon.

"WNO regularly bring productions of stunning

scale and scope to the stage, and their

take on Todd is no exception."

The sense of place created throughout is palpable, and director James Brining truly makes the most of the exceptional design work he is given to play with to capitalise on the fluxing moods and hues of Todd. Where one moment it is a macabre, tense foray into psychosis and hatred, the next it may be gleefully satirising figures of societal authority in a playful ditty or simply dovetailing into something more akin to an unlikely buddy comedy. From humour to horror lite, Brining handles a sometimes deliberately schizophrenic show with aplomb whilst still ensuring the more shocking and grisly moments, as broad and unsubtle as they may be, are not robbed of their impact. This is a dark show, littered with grimly comedic characters and wonderfully aware numbers which revel in their malevolence, and thankfully in bringing the whole show through a more modern prism, none of the talent involved have diluted Todd’s very raison d’être in the process.

The assembled cast bring, as expected, fine voices, continuing another hallmark of excellence for WNO. Whilst the acting in places is a touch wooly - David Arnsperger’s take on the titular role, for instance, feels a trifle laboured and imitative in places - generally the company get their vocal chords around Sondheim’s demanding sing with real relish. Janis Kelly is deliciously good fun as Mrs Lovett, and whilst the role itself is an extremely meaty one (pun intended) for any actress to dive into, Kelly brings an excitable energy and dash of modern sensibility to the role and is a delight throughout. Other stand outs amongst the cast include George Ure who gives one of the production’s most consistent and confident turns as Tobias ‘Toby’ Ragg, Aled Hall who mines every ounce of comedic promise from the role of Beadle Bamford, and Soraya Mafi, whose crystalline, pitch-perfect vocals and exquisite diction shone throughout, not least of all when projecting “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” through the auditorium after her microphone failed.

"Janis Kelly is deliciously good fun as Mrs

Lovett... she brings an excitable energy and

dash of moder sensitiblity to the role and is

a delight throughout."

Sweeney Todd is in some ways something of a curious dichotomy - a show that is both very difficult to do badly by dint of the sheer quality of material being worked with, and yet at the same time one which proves no mean feat to do justice to said material. Sondheim’s signature lyrical gymnastics are present and accounted for, and anyone tackling this show has to be able to navigate the difficult waters of a piece that snaps between tone, style and mood as furiously as it’s murderous protagonist. In this, their sumptuous, wickedly entertaining interpretation, WNO have proven themselves worthy stewards of one of Sondheim’s most celebrated and popular works, bringing their stunning visual artistry and a company of superlative voices to a show which rests heavily on both these elements. And whilst it may not be the absolute best production of the show that the UK has seen, it is certainly a very close shave - a bold, dramatic and suitably macabre affair that certainly deserves a better fate than ending up as one of Mrs Lovett’s pies.

MUSINGS

+ Sondheim's score remains as exquisite and wickedly witty as ever

+ Janis Kelly is a wonderful, modern Mrs Lovett

+ Terrific audio-visual design once again from WNO

+ A show that continesu to prove fantastically schizophrenic and macabre

+ The modern re-imagining mostly works very well

- A handful of minor sound issues with cast members inaudible / drowned out

- David Arnsperger's central performance is a little forced in places

Run: Thurs 19 - Sat 21 Nov 2015

Performance Reviewed: Sat 21 Nov 2015

Tickets: 0844 338 5000 / Official Website: click

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