Matti Aijala Reviews Hitchin Thespians' Production of Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is one of the great masterpieces of modern musical theatre and it is being one of the most performed Sondheim shows in the UK right now. All the publicity around Tim Burton’s excellent movie version last year has certainly helped a lot in this regard and I for one am really pleased to see it being so popular. This is partly why it is so interesting seeing new productions of it. Hitchin Thespians have put their version on at the Queen Mother Theatre and judging by the warm audience reception it seems to have yet another very successful outing with perhaps many new audience members to both Sondheim and the famous tale of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Great atmosphere…
Queen Mother Theatre seats around 150 people and is just about the right size for this particular show. I loved the warm and friendly atmosphere both on stage and in the audience. One still feels close to the action regardless of the seat location and Sweeney is certainly one musical which greatly benefits from this close connection. Personally I thought that the only thing which could have even made more impact for the show might have been having house lights dimmed even more than they were. Of course this is not a major point at all, but it is fun being scared in the dark and in a sense this is one of the points Sondheim is certainly making in his horror movie like score and the very dark, yet comic storyline. On the other hand I heard a conversation at the interval where two patrons both felt that they were so drawn into the action that it was almost real. Now this is a great achievement for any production and Hitchin Thespians certainly had one of the best atmospheres I have encountered in a theatre for a while.
I absolutely loved the brilliant and very Victorian set designed by the very talented Rosemary Bianchi. It was actually one of the best Sweeney sets I can remember and I have seen a very high number of productions over the last few years. The great thing about it was that it once again managed to transport audience to Sweeney’s London and one really felt like being part of a very busy Fleet Street of those times. Also the costumes were fantastic and fitted in 110% with the overall design.
… and some fine performances.
The cast and a seven piece band (beautifully MD’d by Mike Payne) all worked very hard and overall I felt that all the work had paid off in this production. I especially liked the orchestral sound and can’t stop marvelling how great Sweeney sounds no matter if you have seven musicians or a full symphony orchestra in the pit. This time I noted new colours in the orchestration and the famous musical clue Sondheim has hidden in one of the early numbers revealing the final mystery was clear to me for the first time. And no, I won’t reveal what or where it is. This is part of the fun of listening to a work of this magnitude and brilliance- so try and work it out!
The cast was slightly uneven, but once again on the whole the show played well under Jim Snell’s direction. A few spacing issues here and there, but nothing too serious and I doubt if anyone not knowing the show well would even have noticed these little things and mishaps. Richard Cowling was a great Sweeney and I loved his very guttural sounding dark voice. It really fitted well with the brooding dark character Sweeney is and I think it gave a new dimension to his personality as this darker sound made him sound scary and real. Maz Greenbank was also on top form as Mrs Lovett. Interestingly enough I can’t really place her either on the Angela Lansbury or Helena Bonham Carter end of the Lovett spectrum. No matter as she sure gave a strong performance with lots of nuances and colour.
Sam Rayner was great fun to watch as Tobias. This hyperactive young man was perfectly cast in the part and really seemed to enjoy working with the whole ensemble. One thing that came clear last night is the fact that Sweeney in its original theatrical incarnation is very much an ensemble piece and Sondheim’s choral work is of course fantastically varied and rich. The chorus was really well directed by Mr Snell and it was great seeing that all of them were real individual characters. This was particularly evident in the St Dunstan’s market scene (Pirelli) and the second act opener at Mrs Lovett’s pie shop. It was real fun watching these little dramas going on just in the same way countless things happen in real life at the same time.
In conclusion I felt that the Hitchin Thespians should be very pleased with the production and this was proved by a full house of appreciative audience. Also I must make a special thank you for keeping the tooth pulling contest in the show as it is so rarely seen in other productions and really worked perfectly well in Hitchin. Funny thing is that when I was walking towards the train station I had a craving for a meat pie….
Matti Aijala is a freelance writer and Sondheim enthusiast from Finland. He has contributed to The Sondheim Review magazine, and is on the management team of the Stephen Sondheim Society, serving on its Media Team.
