SWEENEY TODD

Tue 10 - Sat 14 October 2023 at 7.30pm
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Sheep Street, Northampton NN1 3NL

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Review: A good yarn
Review by Tony Janney

And I thought it was true! Still, with the overall feel of a Victorian travelling morality play, we were presented with larger-than-life characters, plenty of drama and humour, and a good yarn.

The action begins in London with newly arrived and angst-ridden Sweeney Todd (Will Brown), seeking his wife (Mairead Kearins) and daughter, Joanna (Lucy Grewcock), and travelling buddy, Anthony Hope (Linden Lliffe), looking for streets paved with gold.

After parting, it doesn't take long for Todd to bump into budding entrepreneur Mrs. Lovett (Lynette Applegate) and, from then on, the story is one of vengeance, tasty pies and problems with the plumbing.

Now, at this juncture, I must say that the last time I saw Lynette in a Masque production she played a parrot. I can't remember what I thought about that but her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett was an absolute joy - a character actress to look out for.

Having said that, Ste Applegate managed to pick a cracking cast. From the rat-like Beadle (James Burgess) with whom no pantomime would be complete; corrupt and creepy Judge (David Chappell), to Pirelli (Steven Feeney) and balding Peter Collins, all died manfully squirting blood before being ejected through the curtains at the back.

The stabbing of Fogg (Jake Turner), the demented owner of the asylum, seemed inevitable and although, at the end, what was left of the cast appeared to be dead on the floor, some remained.

Mrs. Lovett's assistant, Tobias (Hari Turner), all innocence and willing to please, gave a very convincing performance before being carted off to the police station by Helen Enright-King and Rachel Pickering.

And the two lovers Anthony and Joanna (a perfect panto team if ever I saw one), I'm sure lived happily ever after.

The show left me with a smile on my face. Worth coming out for!

Shave Sir? Come and Visit your friend Sweeney!
Preview by Ste Applegate | director

Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a horror classic originally set in Victorian London. It became a popular story in the early 20th century in a series of melodramas.

Some of the other characters draw inspiration from the serial killers and criminals of the late 19th Century. Bond's version was the first to give Todd a backstory and a reason for his revenge: it follows the infamous barber who returns to London seeking revenge against the corrupt judge who banished him to prison for 15 years on false charges. He meets up with Mrs Lovett, a pie shop owner, and together they set about plotting revenge on the men that wronged Todd and his family

The play has been adapted into numerous other works, including a 1979 Broadway musical composed by the late Stephen Sondheim and currently back on Broadway starring Josh Grobern, and a popular Tim Burton film starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Bond's original play remains a chilling and visceral exploration of the dark side of human nature, and a haunting portrait of a society consumed by greed, corruption, and violence.

The Demon Barbers

Reunited from the 2019 production of Treasure Island, we have Will Brown as Todd, the Master Barber and protagonist of the piece, and Lynette Applegate as Mrs Lovett whose hands are never clean. Masque newcomers Linden Iliffe and Lucy Grewcock play our young lovers Anthony and Johanna, their love denied by the very man who wronged Todd before. Judge Turpin will be played by Masque veteran David Chappell, with his slimey sidekick Beadle, played by A Midsummer Nights Dream's James Burgess, shadowing his very footsteps!

Also from Dream we have Mairead Kearins as the Beggar Woman, a poor and misguided soul, Peter Collins as a Balding Gentleman at his wits end, and Jake Turner as Fogg, the sadistic Asylum Keeper. Hari Turner, also seen in Dream and Sleepy Hollow plays Tobias, a gin addicted, misguided servant of the infamous Barber Surgeon Alfredo Pirelli, played by another Masque newcomer Steven Feeney. We also have Helena Enright-King (Dream) and Rachel Pickering (Sleepy Hollow) joining us as chorus on the hunt for a fresh shave perhaps?

Bond's original play remains a chilling and visceral exploration of the dark side of human nature, and a haunting portrait of a society consumed by greed, corruption and vengeance.

No one's in the Chair.

Masque Theatre's production is directed by Ste Applegate. Ste has also directed Journey's End (2017).
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