Synopsis The demon barber of Fleet Street who used to kill customers and dispose of them in meat pies! Set in Victorian London. Sweeney is bent on revenge for the death of his wife and has started to murder indiscriminately - and suddenly meat for the pie shop next door is no longer in short supply! Age guideline: 12+
Jonathan Kent's revival of Steven Sondheim's classic musical thriller Sweeney Todd opened to press last week (6 October 2011, previews from 24 September) at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
In this production, set in 1930s London, Sweeney Todd (Michael Ball) is heartbroken over the death of his wife. He returns to London after years of false imprisonment and opens a barber shop to take revenge by murdering all of his customers. Suddenly, Mrs Lovett's (Imelda Staunton) meat pie shop is no longer in short supply.
"Jonathan Kent's powerful production brings out the essential melodrama of the piece without losing some of the almost-Brechtian moralistic elements ... He does make one decision that looks rather odd. The Victorian grand guignol has been updated to a more modern-looking London ... it’s a move that doesn’t really enhance the piece ... Anthony Ward's design ... adds to the air of menace. Ball, looking disconcertingly like Ricky Gervais, is a brooding, saturnine presence and gives a compelling portrait of a man driven insane by thoughts revenge. I’m not sure that his voice quite generates the right amount of malevolence but he certainly is a menacing presence ... It's Staunton's performance that is the true highlight of the evening. She wrings every ounce of humour from the rapacious Mrs Lovett ... Her duet with Ball on 'A Little Priest' is the show’s highlight ... There's decent support too from John Bowe as the villainous judge with Peter Polycarpou as his sidekick but neither of the young lovers, Lucy May Barker and Luke Brady really convinces ... It looks like Chichester has a big hit on its hands."
" ... Though there are undoubtedly many moments here that achieve the right mixture of nervous laughter and spine-tingling terror this strikes me as a production that doesn’t quite do justice to a masterpiece ... Perhaps Kent’s idea was to make the piece seem more 'relevant' by reminding us of the great slump of the 1930s as our economy goes down the plughole yet again, but I do wish he had left well alone. I was also less than persuaded by Michael Ball’s performance in the title role. With his pale plump face, goatee beard and lank dark forelock of hair, he certainly looks sinister. But he also looks like David Brent in The Office, and his voice doesn’t always rise to either the vocal or the dramatic challenges of the role. He tries hard, and certainly dispels the cosy image of his Radio 2 programme but he never quite penetrates the dark rancorous heart of Sweeney."
"Anthony Ward's design, with its circular gallery filled with gaping windows, evokes the seething activity of a dilapidated, working-class London ... So Ball presents us with a potato-faced, dark-haired guy you could easily pass in a crowd and who only reveals his murderous fixation in private. We also see, in the show's most thrilling moment, Sweeney's transition from vengeance-seeker to serial killer. In Sweeney's Epiphany the set trucks forward and, Ball's voice rings out as his malignant gaze rakes the auditorium and he pronounces: 'We all deserve to die.' ... Imelda Staunton also mixes contrapuntal comic relief with a detailed portrait of a woman in whom lust and greed overcome morality. Staunton and Ball together also turn the wickedly funny number, 'A Little Priest', into a competitive game in which each tries to outwit the other. My favourite moment comes when Staunton, challenging her partner to match her in rhyme as well as crime, triumphantly comes up with 'locksmith.' ... The result is a memorable evening in which Sondheim's musical achieves, and frequently outdoes, the skin-prickling power of Jacobean revenge drama."
"I’ve been sitting on this one for a few days pondering what it is about Jonathan Kent’s Chichester Festival staging of Sondheim and Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd that fails to deliver ... Bottom line: it didn’t feel 'dangerous' enough, it didn’t shock or surprise. Correction: Michael Ball momentarily surprised with his quiet, low-key, cockney-inflected, menace ... But how did it sit with Imelda Staunton’s hilariously knowing turn as Mrs Lovett? She was, as we all predicted, terrific and often quite original in the role – you could never second-guess her take on the succession of well-worn one-liners ... The Johanna, Lucy May Barker, was nowhere near it vocally, the Anthony, Luke Brady, was slight, and the Judge, John Bowe, lost authority when he sang. The dubious self-flagellation number 'Deliver Me' (at one time excised) was frankly embarrassing. I loved James McConville’s street-urchin Tobias but again one had to sacrifice the beauty of 'Not While I’m Around' to his vulnerability ... Kent’s staging yields little or nothing to Hal Prince’s original in many respects but in 2011 we need to be shaken and stirred to within an inch of our theatrical senses – and I for one never was."
"Jonathan Kent’s production is dark even by the standards of Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 work, but it is the kind of darkness that mesmerises and entices, that lures folk in suspense films into the shadows where we know the slasher awaits ... It is too easy to patronise Ball because of his crossover appeal; he is a performer of both musical and theatrical skill and commitment. Here, however, he is satisfied regularly to donate the prime spot to Imelda Staunton as Mrs Lovett ... I defy anyone not to be delighted by her delivery of the stream of bad-taste Sondheimian rhyming in the Act One finale ... Yet nor do Kent and his cast undersell the sombre theme that Sweeney and Lovett inhabit a callous world in which man eats man and are merely giving this a literal twist ... Anthony Ward’s design sets the action in a semi-derelict mid-20th-century factory or warehouse, all wire-screen walls and folding steel-lattice gates. I have reservations about the vocal aspect: Sondheim’s score is often deliberately discordant, but now and again some of the more strident supporting voices seem to meld into an indistinguishable pitch."
Libby Purves The Times ★★★★★
"It’s the familiar Sondheim masterwork, but never so thrilling, dark, wild and truthful as under Jonathan Kent’s direction. Under a high gantry where the orchestra beats out demonic energy, the labouring poor struggle, eat or are eaten: the costumes suggest 1930s rather than Victoriana but injustice, poverty and revenge are timeless, as is tragedy ... Imelda Staunton as Mrs Lovett is fabulously funny from her first dishevelled extolling of The Worst Pies in London ... She is touching, too, in her lonely dreams of love, and miraculously keeps us on her side all through the cannibalistic pie boom, only sinister in the last horrid moments. But if Staunton’s evolution is satisfying, Michael Ball is a revelation. We all know he is a safe pair of lungs, but his Sweeney is intense, pitiable, real. The journey from victim to avenger to serial killer takes on a kind of grandeur. This suits Sondheim’s score and lyrics, which veer from playful melodrama to fiery staccato energy and to romance ... when at last he cradles the dead beggar-woman, you think of Lear or Oedipus. Honest. It’s that good ... James McConville deploys a reedily strong Sondheim voice in this difficult score, handling youthful energy and horrified pathos with assurance."
Last season’s Chichester Festival Theatre production of Sweeney Todd has arrived at the Adelphi trailing clouds of hype and glory, much of it fully deserved. The performances of Michael Ball as the avenging demon barber and Imelda Staunton as a bustling, bravura, pie-eyed Mrs Lovett will remain definitive for a very long time.
But I do have qualms, not queasiness, about the musical itself, which Jonathan Kent’s penetrating and powerful production does not entirely allay: the second act parlour songs of Beadle Bamford (Peter Polycarpou) outstay their welcome; the love story of the wandering sailor and Sweeney’s lost daughter is under-written; and her birdcage song is one of several banal, over-ingratiating items.
And although the second act recovers from the tactical error of bathing Mrs Lovett’s pie shop in fairy lights and Cockney oompah-pah (Sondheim’s grasp of London/Victorian idiom is shaky throughout), the show does fade away musically after the magnificent trance-like sequence in which the most lyrical “Johanna” motif is threaded through the stalking rhythm of Sweeney’s cut-throat armchair theatrics.
[WOS_QU@TE]#The performances of Michael Ball as the avenging demon barber and Imelda Staunton as a bustling, bravura, pie-eyed Mrs Lovett will remain definitive for a very long time#[/WOS_QU@TE]Ball, with a Hitler quiff and a glazed expression, marks with terrifying insouciance the exact Macbeth moment when his revenge mission flips into general psychopathic release. Sondheim says Sweeney is a movie for the theatre, and his invocation of Alfred Hitchcock and in particular the film scores of Bernard Herrmann – scraping strings, thudding rhythms, dark stirrings – is uncannily matched in Ball’s slow prowl around the stage, buoyed on tense purpose.
Perhaps he could unbutton a little more in the waltz explosion with Mrs Lovett at the end of the first act – “Have a little priest” -- but he’s leaving all the fiddly stuff to Staunton, who even manages to make of “Beside the Sea” (one of the weaker, less convincing songs) something poignant and hilarious.
I’m not sure, either, about Anthony Ward’s imposing circular set, with the chorus chiming in from the gallery. It must have been ideal for the vast open spaces at Chichester, but looks a bit cramped here, and two spiral staircases are always going to be one too many. Sight lines, I suspect, might be suspect around the edge of the stalls.
Otherwise, the technical presentation is perfect, with superb musical direction by Nicholas Skilbeck and good sound design by Paul Groothius. Fairy lights aside, Mark Henderson’s use of harsh and murky lighting, with rare pools of warmth, is exceptional; Sweeney caresses his friends, his knives, in huge sharp blades of illumination. The Victorian period is loosely rendered in the costumes, and Hugh Wheeler’s book is helped towards the end by a suggestion that “health and safety” might have played their part in exposing corruption and criminality.
And there are very strong support performances from John Bowe as an emphatically perverted, self-flagellating judge and Gillian Kirkpatrick as the harpie-like beggar woman whose proximity to the action catches up with her big time in the Rigoletto-ish final scenes; “I Love Lucy” might be a clue to her relationship with a man called Ball.
Stephen Sondheim's bloody musical is a tremendous climax to this year's Chichester Festival. Jonathan Kent's powerful production brings out the essential melodrama of the piece without losing some of the almost-Brechtian moralistic elements.
He does make one decision that looks rather odd. The Victorian grand guignol has been updated to a more modern-looking London. It looks strange because the references to transportation and the beadle sit rather uneasily with Mrs Lovett’s neon-lit diner.
I can only assume that Kent wanted to show that the desire for revenge, corrupt judges and human brutality will always be with us but it’s a move that doesn’t really enhance the piece. Despite the incongruities, however, Anthony Ward's design, with the orchestra placed behind an array of broken windows behind a steel walkway, adds to the air of menace.
The main interest was always going to be the Chichester debuts of Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton. Ball, looking disconcertingly like Ricky Gervais, is a brooding, saturnine presence and gives a compelling portrait of a man driven insane by thoughts of revenge. I’m not sure that his voice quite generates the right amount of malevolence but he certainly is a menacing presence.
But it's Staunton's performance that is the true highlight of the evening. She wrings every ounce of humour from the rapacious Mrs Lovett, switching nimbly from the grotesque coquette to the bloodthirsty businesswoman dreaming of building her fortune on human flesh. Her duet with Ball on "A Little Priest" is the show’s highlight, drawing on Sondheim’s witty rhyming and Staunton’s relish for her business plan.
There's decent support too from John Bowe as the villainous judge with Peter Polycarpou as his sidekick but neither of the young lovers, Lucy May Barker and Luke Brady really convinces. There is some powerful ensemble singing however.
There was certainly a warm reception. The cast received rapturous applause at the end, Staunton deservedly so. It looks like Chichester has a big hit on its hands.
Overall, a very well thought out and impressive performance. The setting on stage was magnificent - especially Sweeney's barber shop which was on a raised platform that rotated. Believable acting on the whole, but wasn't entirely convinced by Michael Ball's performance - the character didn't seem to suit him - he didn't appear to be particularly 'dark' and his acting came across rather wooden. Disappointed as Ball is an outstanding actor that definitely deserves all the credit he has been given in the past, but Imelda Staunton excelled and definitely stole the show as Mrs. Lovett. Some parts of the production were a little inappropriate to my taste, especially in a certain scene with Judge Turpin, but in all, well worth seeing. And most definItely worth a standing ovation. - Sophie R-C
03 Nov 11
Outstanding show, amazing production and well cast! Loved it and would go again! Thank you - Pauline Messenger.
30 Oct 11
loved it from start to finish outstanding performances and the lyrics were just magnificicant. would recommend it ...it could run and run - Pauline McLaren
27 Oct 11
Thoroughly enjoyable and fantastic production for Chichester - a quality act! Imelda Staunton oustanding Michael Ball convincing. Took the teenagers (always reluctant) but all enjoyed THANK YOU - Arabella
26 Oct 11
This Sweeney is a cut above all others,Mr Ball your a real class act and Miss Staunton "untouchable",best show iv'e seen in many a year,only sad point now "SOLD OUT" - bill phillips
23 Oct 11
Michael Ball is a revelation and Staunton is superb and the rest of the cast were very good, particularly James M as Tobias. The staging, lighting and orchestra were also excellent.
Not to be missed. Great that it will move to London. - Dave P
22 Oct 11
Positive: Great orchestrations, clear diction, excellent performance from Imelda Staunton who steals the show - however I would have liked her final moments before the oven to be made more of, Peter Polycarpou was also very good.
Negative: The non victorian setting including the terrible neon lights of Lovetts pies - why, the far too intimate scene on chaise longue of Anthony and Johanna and Anthonys 'Gene Kelly' performance, the unconvincing, sibilant Michael Ball - he is only comfortable when he has some notes for his singing voice to soar. Badly miscast - the scenes between him and Staunton are like mother and petulant son.
Conclusion: in order of preference -
Trafalgar studios, Bridewell theatre, National theatre, Half moon theatre, Library theatre and finally, bottom of the list, Chichester Festival theatre - disappointing.
- Will
14 Oct 11
unfortunately did not enjoy this production at all and we left in the interval. Kept waiting for Michael Ball to appear, the judge was rather stupid in certain parts, the only enjoyable part was imelda stauton, having seen michael ball in other productions was extremely disappointed with his performance, and why was the actual authentic parts of the play messed about with, no did not enjoy. The best part was the ginger ice cream - lynda macdermid
12 Oct 11
This is my tenth Sweeney Todd, but I don’t think I’ve laughed or squirmed so much at any of the others. This is very dark but often very funny, which makes it a great Sweeney.
I’d always thought Imelda Staunton was born to play Mrs Lovett, but boy did she exceed my expectations. She starts as a bit of a naive chancer but soon matches Sweeney’s blood thirstiness as she becomes more and more besotted with him. The real revelation though is Michael Ball’s Sweeney, whose transition from revenger to serial murderer is brilliantly played. Together they are extraordinary.
Jonathan Kent’s production is as dark as they come. I had to turn my head quite often as the blood flowed and the bodies piled up. The black comedy is not lost though; indeed it’s heightened. The duet where Sweeney and Mrs Lovett discuss who might end up in their pies is as good as it gets. Anthony Ward has created a seedy Dickensian London with fencing and caging, a central two-story platform for the barber shop, an elevated gallery and a rather large oven!
All of the supporting roles are well cast. Spring Awakening’s Lucy May Barker continues her impressive stage career with a fine Joanna, Luke Brady is a passionate Anthony and James McConville is the best Tobias I’ve ever seen. John Bowe and Peter Polycarpou both relish their roles as baddies Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford respectively. The musical standards under MD Nicholas Skilbeck are very high, with an excellent 15-piece band and a superb 16-piece ensemble doing full justice to Sondheim’s wonderful score.
This is as fine a Sweeney as you’ll ever see and if it doesn’t end up in the West End before Christmas I shall be very surprised indeed.
- Gareth James
12 Oct 11
I went to the Saturday matinee yesterday and Andrew Lloyd-Webber was in the audience - The cast received a well deserved standing ovation. I wasn't too keen on the neon lighting for Mrs Lovett's shop, but I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, who played her part brilliantly. I thought that James McConville stood out from the crowd. A fab afternoon. Thank you cast, orchestra and crew!! - val
See also Minerva Studio. [Each summer a musical beats at the heart of the Festival, surrounded by world premieres as well as brand-new productions of classic dramas and comedies, all of the highest quality. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Oaklands Park, Chichester Festival Theatre is one of the UK's flagship theatres and has an enviable reputation for excellence. Four of Festival 2010?s ten productions went on to have lives beyond Chichester, touring nationally and/or transferring to the West End. Artistic Director: Jonathan Church Executive Director: Alan Finch
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