The Stables Theatre and Arts Centre
The Bourne, Hastings
East Sussex TN34 3BD
01424 423221
The Bourne, Hastings
East Sussex TN34 3BD
01424 423221
Sweeney Todd
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
A Phoenix Theatre production
Directed by Sue Gladman
15–19 May 2007
Reviewed by Terence Hattemore
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
A Phoenix Theatre production
Directed by Sue Gladman
15–19 May 2007
Reviewed by Terence Hattemore
Phoenix Theatre closed its sell-out run of Sweeney Todd with would-be patrons queuing for tickets. Stephen Sondheim’s musically difficult and demanding lyrics were ably tackled by the hand-picked cast. Sue Gladman and Andrew Daniels, as director and musical director, also appeared in convincing characterizations, Andrew scaling the heights in an almost counter-tenor range as the phoney Pirandello.
Mention must be made of the fine band and the effective set, including the infamous barber’s chair. Victims were speedily dispatched down a chute, ready to be made into pies by Mrs Lovett—a superb portrayal by Tracy Sutton, impressing with her acting and filling the auditorium with her imposing vocals. Alan Haynes continues to develop and gave Judge Turpin an amoral air of menace.
The annual Phoenix appearance is an event yet again in a wonderful season at the Stables Theatre. What was witnessed was a truly memorable performance of an unsavoury subject-matter in a musical style as distinctive as Sondheim’s. Some of the music is raucous, but it is tempered by the quieter passages.
The subject is not subtle: the realities of the times and the desperate need to survive real miscarriages of justice, abuse of position, and the power to impose capital punishment remain grim, and this fighting from your corner is evocative of the age.
Last, but by no means least, is the role of Sweeney. Any company is blessed by persuading Steve Corke to lead it. In this role he portrayed the chilling drive to reek revenge and the corruption of his soul by the treatment he had been subjected to. Once the killing started, it developed a frenzy and life of its own, until the final tragedy of killing the one he loved.
The descent into killing relentlessly, from the initial position of being the victim, was considered, measured and a sight to behold. Only a singer of this calibre can bring an imposing presence and warmth of tone, the timbre of his voice compelling your attention to the belting and strident vocalization of this exacting material.
Mention must be made of the fine band and the effective set, including the infamous barber’s chair. Victims were speedily dispatched down a chute, ready to be made into pies by Mrs Lovett—a superb portrayal by Tracy Sutton, impressing with her acting and filling the auditorium with her imposing vocals. Alan Haynes continues to develop and gave Judge Turpin an amoral air of menace.
The annual Phoenix appearance is an event yet again in a wonderful season at the Stables Theatre. What was witnessed was a truly memorable performance of an unsavoury subject-matter in a musical style as distinctive as Sondheim’s. Some of the music is raucous, but it is tempered by the quieter passages.
The subject is not subtle: the realities of the times and the desperate need to survive real miscarriages of justice, abuse of position, and the power to impose capital punishment remain grim, and this fighting from your corner is evocative of the age.
Last, but by no means least, is the role of Sweeney. Any company is blessed by persuading Steve Corke to lead it. In this role he portrayed the chilling drive to reek revenge and the corruption of his soul by the treatment he had been subjected to. Once the killing started, it developed a frenzy and life of its own, until the final tragedy of killing the one he loved.
The descent into killing relentlessly, from the initial position of being the victim, was considered, measured and a sight to behold. Only a singer of this calibre can bring an imposing presence and warmth of tone, the timbre of his voice compelling your attention to the belting and strident vocalization of this exacting material.
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Photographs > www.artypharty.com
A selection of production photographs from the 1950s to the present is available at our photographer Peter Mould’s website.
A selection of production photographs from the 1950s to the present is available at our photographer Peter Mould’s website.
