This Sweeney Todd requires some snips and tucks

Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd is a dark tale which is supposed to thrill and entertain in the blackest of ways. It highlights the story of a murderous demon barber who starts to dispense with locals after forming a business partnership with the owner of the local pie shop.

Jason Donovan, fresh from his success in the family hit Chitty Chitty Bang Bang plays the hairdresser with the sharpest razor in the box. Initially he looks ill at ease in the role but he embraces Sondheim's lyrics, irony and all- thus by act two he displays great comic timing. He also looks the part, donnning a freshly grown beard- removing his clean cut looks of the past. His vocal delivery suffers in comparison with the supporting players but he is a box office draw, no doubt about it.

Harriet Thorpe is equally good as Mrs Lovett, Todd's accomplice. She relishes the dialogue and really highlights how black the comic situations are. At times her performance is in danger of turning the show into Carry On Sweeney Todd but she manages to err on the right side of sauciness, although her laugh is very 'Barbara Windsor'.

John Doyle's direction is quite muddled at times. His dark sparse set is stripped bare of the iconic pieces you associate with this opera. For example the famous barber's chair is gone. This is a mistake as there is no focal point for the action to revolve. Each song is sung in a very static like fashion. As an audience member this is very confusing as you often feel like you are at a concert rather than a musical/opera.

Repetition is also a problem here. At times there is so little taking place on stage that the whole piece seems as lifeless as the corpses that Todd is chopping up. Therefore the songs do not retain a memorable quality as you find yourself staring at the ceiling instead of listening intently. The main problem is that the staging smacks of is high art but the venues housing the show are big expansive buildings more associated with big budget musicals.

On the plus side, this Sweeney Todd is definitely inventive but the lack of movement on stage means that at times it is strangely uninvolving. The performances are all excellent though. As well as sing each actor plays an instrument which works to a degree. The problem is as the whole cast are always on stage you may find your attention is somewhat diverted as you look at band members when your mind should be on the plot or what the potagonist is doing.

The murders themselves are hardly subtly done, red lighting is used to signal bloodshed. This method appears all too often and instead of scaring the audience spells out the narrative, hence removing any sense of tension.

Act two is certainly less static as the vocals become as high as the body count. The show also becomes more haunting and humorous as Todd himself becomes more manic. As you watch his sidekick clean the murderous tools, almost whistling while she works, you cannot help but laugh.

Chris Full's evocative sound effects give this thriller the framing it needs to remind the audience that this is a frighteningly funny tale. Also the power of Sondheim ultimately envelopes you, beating even the bored into submission. But a more intimate venue would suit this production as many of the key scenes would benefit from being seen in close confinement in order to thrill more.

Overall, a mixed bag really as there are flashes of brilliance and it is great to see this much celebrated piece but the sheer excellence of Sondheim's vision is too often lost in a show that cannot decide on its genre or target audience. The result being a Sweeney Todd which longs to be a cut above the rest but ultimately fails to engage like it should.

http://www.sweeneytoddthemusical.co.uk for tour dates

 

 

 

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.