Production photo, David Allen Studio
Last night, courtesy of Grandma, we went to see the John Doyle production of the Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This has been my favourite musical for years, and I’ve seen the televised original production and pretty much memorized the CD, but I’ve never actually seen it live on stage. Well, this is the version to see: it pretty much blows away any other traditional sort of staging, and it’s easily the best theatrical production that I’ve seen in years.
The show features a stripped-down cast (10 actors), and a stripped-down orchestra (10 musicians). The show further economizes on salaries by having the actors be the musicians! All play at least one instrument, and when they’re not featured in a scene (and even when they are) they are playing an eclectic orchestra featuring such diverse instruments as accordion, cellos, tuba and glockenspiel. This is no mean feat, since Sondheim’s score is intricate and challenging to play, but amazingly neither acting skills or musicality is sacrificed one whit. Though stripped down, the orchestrations never sound chintzy or bare, and with the company in full play and voice, the sound they produce is surprisingly lush. The actors never leave the stage during the performance, and even play their instruments wholly in character.
The cast is, without exception, terrific and very experienced (no newbies here “in their first professional stage role”, unlike in many touring shows). The whole show is framed by the rather high-concept conceit of staff and inmates of an asylum performing a show, but it manages to give the piece intensity and a rather unsettled madness to the whole work. This is enhanced by the non-naturalistic staging: often the characters don’t face each other while conversing, and instead look out into the audience (which is understandable since they might be sawing away on a cello or violin at the same time.)
We both came out of the theatre exhilarated by the show. Peter said it was the best theatrical experience he’s had since we saw the play Copenhagen over three years ago and I would definitely agree! If you have the slightest interest in theatre, and can take your musicals decidedly black, go see Sweeney Todd. It ends December 9th at the Princess of Wales Theatre.