Reader Reviews
Sweeney Todd (Trafalgar Studios (previously the Whitehall), West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | I was very much looking forward to seeing this, as I had read such wonderful things about the production and the talented cast. While I don't contest that the cast are indeed multi-talented, I did feel that we lost out of hearing great vocal performances given the casting restraints of a show with actor/musicians. I was also not overly impressed with the standard of acting, although Karen Mann was superb. I love Sweeney but this production did not excite me at all. We missed so many wonderfully funny lines and also a moment near the end of the show that normally hits the audience right between the ribs, just did not have any effect at all. Dissapointed... - 195.93.34.12) | 25 Jan 05 |
| A remarkable production based on the truly inspired idea of the cast playing the musical instruments as well as their parts. You have to see it. - 217.43.117.80) | 07 Jan 05 |
| Saw this last week amid a very sparse pre-Christmas house. I was in awe of the nine actor-musicians - they performed one of the most complex musicals ever written to an astonishingly high standard. The versatility made my jaw drop. I was less impressed by the mod-expressionist staging; we lost so much of the show's richness and texture as a result. On that level I was disappointed... but in terms of musicality and performance skills I've rarely seen anything to match it. - 195.144.130.1) | 20 Dec 04 |
| Spectactular & unique production. Loved it from start to finish, having actors & musicians on stage together a fantastic idea and worked completely. New Ambassadors a great intimate venue for this production. Go see while you can! - 82.44.98.162) | 13 Dec 04 |
| Just a quick note to the reviewers who mention the 'cost-effectivity' of usuing actor musicians. Its nothing to do with finance. A character can express themselves in many ways, through words, movement and music. If a character can sing then why shouldn't they play? There would be more actor/muso shows on stage if there were enough talented enough performers to do them. - 81.152.186.96) | 10 Dec 04 |
| Definitely different! Enjoyed this overall tho found the first half too long. The cast were great - providing all the music stepping in & out of their characters. Innovative staging tho I found the wobbly coffin a bit perturbing and the constant shifting of furniture and instruments distracting. A good night out overall. - 81.134.90.45) | 09 Dec 04 |
| We visited London last week and saw three shows - the Producers, Simply Heavenly and sweeny todd. Sweeny todd was by far the best - completely entralling from start to finish. Each character was perfectly suited to their role and what talent! Not just fantastic voices, but great musicians too. Deserves to be sold out every night. - 80.11.24.240) | 25 Nov 04 |
| Did something I've always wanted to do on Friday (19/11) and saw 2 west end shows back-to-back. Saw the matinee of Mamma Mia (see my review on that on relevant page!) and the evening show of Sweeny Todd. What a contrast! This show was incredible. I was utterly mesmerised by the hugely talented cast and the unexpected way in which this is staged. I have not seen any of the previous productions of this show but having seen this one, I'm sure it can't be bettered for innovativeness and the way in which it keeps your imagination active throughout the performance. A wonderful piece of theatre that is so different from anything else on at the moment but still leaves you breathtaken at the end! - 194.203.201.209) | 22 Nov 04 |
| Outstanding! This certainly outclasses Lloyd-Webber's latest 'show' and makes for a very exciting time at the theatre. Superb music performed beautifully by a very talented cast. Sure, Sondheim is not to everyone's taste but you have to give this production credit. Even if the voices in the cast are not the best in the world, it works! - 82.37.196.220) | 16 Oct 04 |
| A wonderful production. Shows how this musical masterpiece can be changed and still be just as powerful as the Hal Prince original. Loved it! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (138.40.1.12) | 29 Sep 04 |
| An expensive ticket for a show done on the cheap. My least preferred Sondheim but at least it's on. Preferred the latest Lloyd Webber but am sure most theatre go-ers like both composers. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.60.38.11) | 24 Sep 04 |
| Brilliant, just brilliant. Puts Lloyd-Webber's latest offering into the shade. This is how you do a thriller. So inventive. What a spndid evening in the theatre. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.173.57.160) | 22 Sep 04 |
| Awful. Tuneless and repetitive. The composer needs to take a lesson from Lloyd Webber on how to write a melody. Liked the idea of the performers playing the instruments, however. The libretto was good in parts, if a little clumsy and patronising. Best part? The minimalist approach to the staging. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.60.38.11) | 21 Sep 04 |
| Enjoyed this new production a great deal. Very theatrical and inventive with talented performers doubling as an orchestra! Goodness knows what the MU make of this??! However, does not quite rate 5 stars as the simplified setting sometimes made the action difficult to follow with the actors forever climbing on and off chairs, ladders and coffins!! Despite the buckets of blood I did miss the barbers chair and the trick razor from the original production. However, overall I did think the show was very inventive and thrillingly theatrical at times. Recomended. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.156.105.219) | 18 Sep 04 |
| loved it. saw the original on Broadway and was far more blown away by this inventive production. This show focuses on the story...and the direction is brilliant. kudos to the amazing cast - USER: Whatsonstage.com (152.163.253.103) | 05 Sep 04 |
| Absolutely brilliant! Downsizing the production has put the focus where it belongs: on the fabulous score, the emotional story, and on the incredible talents of the nine cast members. A staging unlike any other I've seen. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (207.237.9.179) | 23 Aug 04 |
| I don't even need to see it (even though I would like to) to know that it was a succes. My uncle ROCKS and you know it. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.58.39.107) | 19 Aug 04 |
| An absolute triumph - what an amazing evening. This is for theatre-goers who don't mind working with the cast with their imaginations. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.173.57.160) | 18 Aug 04 |
| I agree. stunning. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.41.131.154) | 17 Aug 04 |
| AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!!!!!!!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.41.206.186) | 14 Aug 04 |
| This production rocks. Best night I've had in a theatre in a long time. Go see. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.205.123.7) | 09 Aug 04 |
| Dire. Awful songs badly performed. And the blood made me feel queasy. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.118.206.221) | 03 Aug 04 |
| This is an exuberant and daring re-interpretation of a theatrical masterpiece. What it lacks in polish musically it more than makes up for in sheer verve, wit and intelligence. Perhaps not for the purists - but certainly for those who love their theatre off-the-wall and challenging an absolute delight. I recommend this highly. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.173.57.160) | 03 Aug 04 |
| I'd been told that Sondheim fans wouldn't approve of this production. Well this is the sixth production this Sondheim fan has seen and I certainly do approve. As much as I liked the musicality of the Covent Garden production last December, this production returns Sweeny Todd to the chamber scale where it works best. The highly talented cast of 9 play all of the instruments, as well as act and sing, and do so all of these very well indeed. Above all else, this production has pace and psychoogical depth - much more than mere melodrama. Almost as soon as you've finished laughing at the worplay, you are wincing at another death - yes, despite the highly stylised treatment, you do wince. Like the Donmar's run of Sondheim gems - Into the Woods, Company, Pacific Overtures, Merrily we Roll Along and Assasins - this is premiere league small-scale Sondheim. Aren't we lucky to have revivals as good as this and the National's Funny Thing in London at the same time? Now, when are we going to see The Frogs..... - USER: Whatsonstage.com (172.190.206.85) | 03 Aug 04 |
| Excellent - one of the best evenings in theatre in a long time - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.216.254.81) | 29 Jul 04 |
| Dreadful...I love Sweeney Todd but this was the worst production I have ever seen. The singing though adequate at times rendered the lyrics inaudible, I have never seen The History of the World song elicit so few laughs . The cost effective idea of having actors doubling up as the band worked against the production, causing the actors to sing out front rather than to the person they were addressing and resulted in static staging as they carried their instruments around. I felt like Iwas watching a cast of understudies as no one stood out in the cast, one just marvelled at their ability to sing and play several instruments. Jacks of all trades and master of none. A mess. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.234.243.2) | 28 Jul 04 |
| I saw 'Sweeney Todd' on its charity tour, which included a couple of hours of pre-show demonstration on how the barber's chair and chute worked...very entertaining! The show itself was just as entertaining...the cast is small but they're all very talented, and friendly. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.254.0.34) | 11 Jul 04 |
