Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Conductor Phoebe Briggs and her orchestra do a fine job with Sondheim’s Tony Award winning score in all its lush, terrifying, discordant beauty. Sublime strings mix flawlessly with shrill whistles.

Director Stuart Maunder keeps the pace cracking, there are no dull moments, transitions are clever and seamless and the hum and weave of the players’ work reflect this very experienced director’s leadership.

Roger Kirk’s set by is a superb piece of stagecraft, flanked by the staircases that make use of the theatre space height and allow rapid movement, and centred by the wonderful rotating pie and barber shops with all their awesome moving parts including the amazing barber chair and chute.

Kirk has also done a brilliant job with the costumes. The versatility of the Beggar Woman’s costumes, Pirelli in his colours of Italy, the judge’s underwear in which he struggles with his lust are inspired and the costume-only-driven transition to the asylum scene is pure theatre magic. 

Philip Lethlean‘s lighting is also remarkable, from the opening majestic shower of lights onto the stage to the creeping red as the show’s horror progresses, the fierce burning light from the pie oven and the final grave-like square of light on the protagonist.

The twelve-member ensemble who are the play’s Greek Chorus are at their best when scene setting; their acting is very strong. In full voice when the libretto is dense and the orchestra is at volume, it was at times a contest for coherence.

Ben Mingay as Sweeney Todd brings his full deep baritone and stunning physical presence to the role and solidly stays in menacingly psychopathic character while delivering truly memorable vocal collaborations such as in “My Friends”, “A Little Priest” and “Pretty Women”.

Alto Antoinette Halloran is a fabulous Mrs Lovett in strong fine voice, with exquisite comic timing and hugely confident stage presence. She brings not only warmth to the bawdiness and horror but deep respect for the great intelligence and wit in Sondheim‘s words. “Not While I’m Around” might be everyone‘s favourite and Halloran sings it beautifully, but her “By The Sea” embodies Lovett for me - longing, loving and loyal but not always very good: “married nice and proper, but you can bring along your chopper”.

As counterpoint to our dark duo, Lachlann Lawton plays Anthony Hope and Alessia Pintabona plays Johanna and they do so beautifully, weaving their tenor and soprano voices together in lovely pieces such as “Kiss Me”. 

Shout outs also to in Adrian Tamburini who plays Judge Turpin, bringing his extraordinary bass baritone and physique to this confronting and unpleasant character; to Mat Verevis who plays servant Tobias Ragg with great tenderness and sensitivity; to Kanen Breen, tenor, who plays The Beadle with all the ham and affectation that the role calls for; to Euan Fistrovic Doidge, tenor, who plays Pirelli with humour, hilarity and mischief and Margaret Trubiano, the mezzo-soprano who plays the challenging role of the Beggar Woman with pathos and humour, a tricky double to pull off, but performed deftly and with grace.

Sweeney Todd is a horror musical symbolised best perhaps by the caged birds in Act 1 who sing and sing because their vendors have deliberately blinded them. There are profound messages to contemporary audiences still from the penny dreadful tale that inspired this work, Sondheim’s brilliant adaptation, if we care to unblind ourselves to see.

This production is deeply worthy in keeping both the performance opportunity and the learning opportunity alive. Superbly well-done Victorian Opera - this production deserves every accolade.

Susanne Dahn

Photographer: Charlie Kinross.