Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd reinvented in this dark, grotesque and extremely bloody production.... 

Union House Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd very much subscribes to some of the observations made by writer Howard Kissel on the original Broadway production; that the show is distinguished by its ‘deliberate theatricality’ and seeks to ‘invest the horror with irony’. 

Set in Victorian London, it is the tale of a murderous and revenge driven barber Sweeney Todd. Originally named Benjamin Barker, Sweeney loses both his wife Lucy and daughter Johanna to the villainous Judge Turpin.  After deportation and fifteen years of false imprisonment, Barker returns to London, reinvented as Sweeney Todd, with the intention of finding his family and exacting revenge on those who wronged him.  This need for revenge turns into a seemingly uncontrollable blood lust; aided and abetted by Mrs Lovett, a widow with a failing pie shop who uses Sweeney’s corpses to build her business.  Sweeney’s desire to hurt those who hurt him becomes his ultimate downfall in a bloody and tragic finale.

It is important to begin by commenting on the design framework within which the production was set.  Part Gothic, part modern, and not a little Burtonesque, the set and costumes were a standout.  The monochromatic conglomeration of styles and eras in costume created a certain timelessness, which was effective.   The set, consisting of four two storey scaffolded set pieces, created eights ‘windows’ (one which housed the musicians) and allowed the performance space to be divided into different locations . In this way, the design team of Joanna Butler and Stephan Moravski clearly overcame the challenge of rapid shifts in location required by the show, and created an overall style that was consistent and original. Lighting was relatively simple yet effective; lighting designer Tom Willis accentuated the grotesqueness of the cast and set by having a lot of the light shining in a way that was harshly angular. 

Tom Gutteridge’s directorial style effectively swung between simplicity and the theatrical.  The use of a catwalk that extended into the audience meant that much of the action was very close indeed, and the actors were constantly stalking the auditorium’s aisles during the performance. This approach worked during the show, but having the cast mingling with the audience before the show and during interval missed the mark, as many simply did not maintain their character, choosing instead to stand around and have a natter.  Having said that, ensemble members  Stephanie John, Scott Dunsdon and Isobel Yates must be commended for maintaining a creepy sense of character for the entire time they were in view of the audience. Gutteridge’s directorial style included some rather comical and quirky choices – the Judge and Beadle’s ‘walk’ from the courthouse for instance – that very much adhered to the style chosen for the show. There were also moments of contrasting stillness and complete simplicity in the blocking that were appropriate. 

The use of funny and, at times, deliciously lewd shadow puppets provided both back story and an alternative to staging some trickier scenes.  However, while the makers and operators of the puppets must be highly commended, the puppets were sometimes too much of a focus puller. There was no use of the infamous Sweeney ‘chair’. Once each character’s throat was cut (with some rather spectacular blood-letting – bring a poncho if you want to sit in the front row) and they ‘died’, they reanimated to take their final bow and obligingly took themselves offstage.  This theatricality overcame the problem of what to do with the bodies and afforded each death a sense of black comedy.

The cast were musically directed by Lucy O’Brien, who must have enjoyed working with such a plethora of vocal talent – both in the principal and ensemble cast.  Harmonies were tight, and the levels between the minimal but solid orchestra and the cast were generally balanced - noticeably without the use of microphones.  It was pleasant not to have overly amplified voices competing with the musicians, however the audience lost some of the songs when cast were directed to turn their heads away from the audience or were singing from different parts of the theatre. 

In the title role, Raphael Wong’s voice was outstanding, playing Sweeney with a calm and deadly simplicity.  Amongst the comedy that often surrounding him, Wong’s Sweeney was steadfastly tortured.  As Mrs Lovett, Kimberley Colman’s voice was sweet and clear.  Colman has excellent comic timing and facial expressions, but seemed to struggle with the cockney accent; she maintained it throughout her songs, but it wavered during her speech.

Nelson Gardner, with excellent vocals and characterization, was commanding as Judge Turpin, and Nicholas Jones, as his off-sider Beadle Bamford, successfully camped up his role with rather outrageous comedy and some seriously outrageous falsetto.  As Antony, Josh Burton was vocally pleasing, if a little quieter than his cast mates, and as Johanna, Kate Amos’ gorgeous soprano voice rang out beautifully.  Burton and Amos managed to be both soppy and appropriately comical, injecting much needed life into Antony and Johanna’s love story.   As the beggar woman, Matilda Dixon-Smith presented beautiful vocal quality, but portrayed a type of madness that seemed physically awkward and too childlike; it was difficult to tell whether this was a directorial choice or not.  

Adam Lyon’s Tobias was both funny and endearing, and he instilled real sensitivity into ‘Not While I’m Around’, a beautiful song which often runs the risk of becoming just a little creepy.  Gutteridge has made a somewhat controversial choice of casting a woman, Emma Leaver, as Adolfo Pirelli.  No doubt many audience members may find this grating, but in a show where stylized androgyny seems to be part of the design brief, it was not altogether inappropriate.  In any case, Leaver attacked the role with absolute aplomb, singing the part entirely up the octave in true Broom Hilda fashion, much to the delight of the audience.

Union House Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd has taken what is a highly complex piece of theatre and stripped it down to create a piece that is successfully simple.  The emphasis on humour through melodrama co-exists nicely with the darkness of the show, creating a highly dynamic, interesting and original piece of theatre.

Sweeney Todd runs until 18th Sept....see 'What's On' for more info

Kathryn has been involved in a variety of productions over the past ten years, performing in both musicals and plays. She has worked in all facets of theatre; on production teams, backstage, as a costumer and designer and as a performer. She has most recently appeared in productions of Oklahoma!, Julius Caesar (Metellus), The Witches of Eastwick (Gina Marino) and Oliver! (Nancy). This year, Kathryn directed and choreographed MDMS’ production of Jesus Christ Superstar.