Sweeney Todd (Leicester Theatre Group)
It’s always amazing the sheer volume of talent on the amateur musical theatre scene in the Midlands, I could be reviewing every night of the week and still not manage to see everything and it therefore comes down to taking a punt based on the shows I particularly like and anything from Stephen Sondheim is firmly at the top of the list.
Leicester Theatre Group’s production of Sweeney Todd is finely tuned, incredibly performed and stunningly atmospheric, opening with a stage containing a solitary pie (probably filled with a little priest !) and culminating with a complete cast taking a rapturous curtain call, absolutely deserved across the board.
George Pavey is an incredibly measured Todd, it isn’t about gratuitously accentuating the killing and the blood, it’s about calculating revenge and had he been able to dispense with the Judge at the first attempt it could have been a completely different story, suffice to say simply top class acting. Summer Garrett as Mrs Lovett matches her co-star ‘punch for punch’ but, is also able to make the pie-making conspirator a strangely warm and funny character, not to mention a sublime singing voice.
Abe Armitage as Anthony and Hannah Pickering as Johanna create intense emotion as the lovers struggling to overcome all the challenges put in their way, melodic voices that complement each other lead to some striking duets, not least of all the ‘Kiss Me’ number.
Matt Harrison is a dominant force as Judge Turpin, a deeply troubled character that uses his authority to achieve purely personal gain, universal dislike and an innate ability to avoid his just desserts. Quite probably the Judge lasts as long as he does due to the protection offered by his equally disliked, weaselly Beadle a triumph of characterisation from Charlie Bowles and a surprisingly adaptable singing voice.
Jess Rule maintains appropriate confusion and alarm as the Beggar Woman (finally revealed as Todd’s wife Lucy), Ben Lee is a devoted and likeable Tobias, slowly realising how all the pies are being filled and by whom and probably the performance of the afternoon from Zach Morley as rival barber Pirelli (or could it be blackmailer Daniel O’Higgins), a lively and entertaining cameo before being Todd’s first victim.
An extensive supporting cast are really responsible for creating the atmosphere which they do with great effect and Lee Samuels (Director) and Steve Duguid (Musical Director) take all of these pieces and mould something that I am truly grateful to have seen.
Sadly by the time this review is published, the Demon Barber and his pie producing accomplice will have left the building, however I will be seriously watching-out for the next production from a Leicester Theatre Group.
Leicester Theatre Group Web Site
Leicester Theatre Group’s production of Sweeney Todd is finely tuned, incredibly performed and stunningly atmospheric, opening with a stage containing a solitary pie (probably filled with a little priest !) and culminating with a complete cast taking a rapturous curtain call, absolutely deserved across the board.
George Pavey is an incredibly measured Todd, it isn’t about gratuitously accentuating the killing and the blood, it’s about calculating revenge and had he been able to dispense with the Judge at the first attempt it could have been a completely different story, suffice to say simply top class acting. Summer Garrett as Mrs Lovett matches her co-star ‘punch for punch’ but, is also able to make the pie-making conspirator a strangely warm and funny character, not to mention a sublime singing voice.
Abe Armitage as Anthony and Hannah Pickering as Johanna create intense emotion as the lovers struggling to overcome all the challenges put in their way, melodic voices that complement each other lead to some striking duets, not least of all the ‘Kiss Me’ number.
Matt Harrison is a dominant force as Judge Turpin, a deeply troubled character that uses his authority to achieve purely personal gain, universal dislike and an innate ability to avoid his just desserts. Quite probably the Judge lasts as long as he does due to the protection offered by his equally disliked, weaselly Beadle a triumph of characterisation from Charlie Bowles and a surprisingly adaptable singing voice.
Jess Rule maintains appropriate confusion and alarm as the Beggar Woman (finally revealed as Todd’s wife Lucy), Ben Lee is a devoted and likeable Tobias, slowly realising how all the pies are being filled and by whom and probably the performance of the afternoon from Zach Morley as rival barber Pirelli (or could it be blackmailer Daniel O’Higgins), a lively and entertaining cameo before being Todd’s first victim.
An extensive supporting cast are really responsible for creating the atmosphere which they do with great effect and Lee Samuels (Director) and Steve Duguid (Musical Director) take all of these pieces and mould something that I am truly grateful to have seen.
Sadly by the time this review is published, the Demon Barber and his pie producing accomplice will have left the building, however I will be seriously watching-out for the next production from a Leicester Theatre Group.
Leicester Theatre Group Web Site
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