Preview of Amdram’s Sweeney Todd playing March 21-24 at the Royal Whanganui Opera House
Amdram Whanganui is in the final stages of putting together an impressive production of the musical thriller Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
This is a very ambitious stage show to put on, from a highly entertaining and intricate musical and lyrical score by the American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, which won eight Tony Awards in 1979.
The story revolves around Sweeney Todd, a former London barber in the Victorian era who was sentenced to prison in Australia 15 years earlier by Judge Turpin, on whom Todd wishes to exact his revenge, now that he has returned to London.
Todd collaborates with Mrs Lovett, the owner of a pie shop, to deal with any human obstacles to his end goal. The plot twists and turns with intriguing revelations of Todd’s history, as characters reappear from his past ...
The introduction to the storyline, and the flavour of the show, are set immediately with the opening orchestral music, and the song, Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd. One is immediately taken up and into the inner machinations of Todd’s mind … the unfolding of the plotline is then portrayed with captivating performances from the lead actors and an excellent array of supporting roles and chorus members.
Without giving away any plot lines, or discoveries that the various characters make as the show progresses, the Amdram cast of talented individuals clearly enjoy very much working together as a team, with great rapport and spontaneity amongst them. The characterisations of the various roles are acted with real depth and personality, reflecting the entertaining lyrics of the songs – some serious, some humorous, some endearingly macabre, with some beautiful love songs as well.
The cast has been rehearsing diligently to ensure the audience is kept fully occupied with following the details of the storyline. The story is quite fast paced, the music is crisp and energetic, and the spoken dialogue between songs is cleverly written. It is all delivered clearly and knowledgeably by the cast, making the developments of the plot entertainingly tantalising to follow – to see what on earth happens next!
The whole cast is unified in its passion to portray the story to the watcher, and the continuity of the show is very snappy, with some complicated entries and exits of various characters to and from the stage at crucial moments, which are all beautifully timed and dovetailed.
Seen in rehearsal.
The performance is accompanied by a sizeable orchestra, consisting of many locals, and complemented by players from further afield, which does an excellent task of setting the mood for the various songs in the show.
Sondheim has written some very effectively orchestrated music to enhance the personalities of the various characters, and the dramatic highs and lows of the story. It can sometimes be easy to forget that the orchestra is even there, playing live, as their accompanying of the action – their ensemble with the cast – is so sensitive and subtle that one could easily think the production is being performed to a professionally produced pre-existing soundtrack.
Behind the scenes, Amdram’s set design team has done an ingenious job of designing and building five distinct environments, with a central multi-purpose “cube” that revolves to produce very different scene settings centre stage. The costumes, props, and sound and lighting departments have pulled out all the stops to give the production a very genuine Victorian feel, and the quirkiness of the whole concept of the story, with its musical and dramatic execution, is good entertainment.
This writer thoroughly recommends booking your tickets to witness this unusual and delightfully dark-humoured piece of theatre history, for an evening to remember. You will not be disappointed.
