AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street - The Theatre, Students' Union, Manchester.

One of the joys of being a reviewer is that you have the pleasure of seeing many different interpretations of the same show. Each company puts their own particular spin on the production according to the limitations (or sometimes advantages) of the stage, the cast, and indeed the budget! Stephen Sondheim's 'Sweeney Todd' is a perennial favourite for societies, and I have seen the show countless times from West End to church hall, however I have to admit, I have never seen the show interpreted in the original way it was done this evening by UMMTS [University of Manchester Musical Theatre Society].

Director Ella Kendrick has created something of a hybrid cross between Gothic Horror and an End-Of-Pier Pierrot show [Think Joan Littlewood's 'Oh What A Lovely War']. The cast wore all white, quasi-Victorian era and were all barefoot, whilst the stage set itself was a three-sided affair of a black floor and three white stage block-boxes. It was very 'Peter Brook'. One had to use much imagination in this production too as there was a distinct lack of blood, and the famous barbers' chair was a baby's high stool painted white. It was the style of production that one might expect from students in a drama school, which at one time or other would have been given the moniker, 'experimental'. 

Did it work? I have thought long and hard about the answer to this question, and in all honesty, I have to admit that I don't think it did; at least not as well as Kendrick obviously hoped it would. The lack of blood - in fact the lack of any moments of horror at all (mostly mimed or not even shown) worked against the narrative drive and the whole idea of the show; the cleanliness and sanitation of both the set and whiteness of the costumes went against the grime and filth of the London they were trying to portray, and further, there was no distinction of class and profession in a show which used all white costumes, and this lessened the impetus and power of the scenes involving judges, beadles etc. It was a very black and white production, which was crying out for colour.

A thin piece of material swaying in the 'wind' was the main entrance / exit positioned rear centre of this stage, and many of the scenes had been directed to include a silhouette behind this. Perhaps this was meant to be fuzzy and undefined, but these were not true silhouettes, no definition to them, almost as if it were a deliberately out-of-focus photograph.  However, the lighting design,. this notwithstanding, was one of the best I have thus far seen from UMMTS. All the lights were positioned correctly and spots and specials, whilst there were no unwanted shadows or dark spots. I noticed a few new-looking LEDs so hopefully those now will be a permanent feature for the university and the society.

One thing that never ceases to impress with this particular society is the energy and dynamism that their productions are infused with. The cast are all young - since their membership is restricted to current university students - and as such, this production was visceral and immediate, with vitality and verve throughout. Where this is a disadvantage is in the playing age of certain characters; and sadly, this was noticeable this evening with Todd, Mrs Lovett, Beggar Woman, and Judge Turpin, all playing much younger than they actually should have been. 

Another point in this company's favour is the quality of the singing. This has always been excellent, and this evening was no exception. The chorus (oftentimes reduced to a core ensemble of four) sounded wonderful with great harmonies, with all the principals able to tackle this most challenging of scores with seeming ease. I especially enjoyed Elena Strachan's soprano for Joanna. Charlie Steggall played our protagonist Sweeney Todd, but for me at least, his character was too strong and vehemently vindictive right from the start, and so he had little or nowhere to travel in the show., but this was counteracted nicely by a very plaintive performance by Xavier Moras-Spencer's Anthony. Natalia Leaper's interpretation of Mrs. Lovett (forgetting for a moment that she was acting too young) was quite delightful, as she managed to find many lovely little moments to enjoy within the score which were nicely placed even when not actually in the limelight herself. This was a truly ensemble production, and was very tight and slick, with solid characterisations and good chemistry between the cast.

Sondheim's 'Sweeney Todd' is certainly one of the most challenging and difficult musicals ever written, and so I take my hat off to anyone willing to tackle this show. I have to admit that I didn't understand why certain sections of the show had either been changed or omitted in this production {eg: Judge Turpin did not self-flagellate, nor did we see him rape a young Lucy at the masked ball}, and again, these changes / omissions lessened the impact of the show in this reviewer's opinion. However, what they did produce was sincerely and truthfully told, and the obvious talents of the cast were amply displayed. 

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 10.5.23