Review Roundup: SWEENEY TODD at Darling Harbour Theatre; What Did The Critics Think?

Anthony Warlow returns to the Australian musical theatre stage to take on the dark twisted tale of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Stephen Sondheim(music and lyrics) and Hugh Wheeler's (book) multi award winning musical's Broadway premiere in 1979, director Theresa Borg presents the piece in an elaborately staged concert with a new twist.

What did the critics think?

Ben Neutze, TimeOut Sydney: It's difficult to understand what Borg's vision for this production actually is. It uses a séance, summoning Sweeney from the grave, as its framing device, adding nothing to the piece apart from an additional layer of spooky, which fails to fire in this venue. There's a suggestion in Borg's director's note that she wanted to give the women of this story more prominence, but she curiously leans into every trope the characters are built from; Johanna is played as a two-dimensional virginal, innocent ingenue. Borg hasn't managed to bring everybody onto the same page, and it feels like many of the performers could be in entirely different productions. Jonathan Hickey is excellent as Tobias, singing gorgeously and finding the right balance between darkness and comedic touches of the character, while Daniel Sumegi is an imposing Judge Turpin. But Genevieve Kingsford performs Johanna as though she's in a silent movie with constant melodramatic gesturing, while Anton Berezin camps up Beadle Bamford to an absurd degree. Debra Byrne also slathers on the melodrama, which generally works well for her role as the beggar woman, but she has a weird tendency to enunciate the unimportant stuff perfectly but mumble over key lines.

Jade Kops, BroadwayWorld: For a work that is not often performed due to its complexity, it is disappointing that this production is in a venue that is unsympathetic to the style of the work and the direction has failed to remove the unnatural, forced expressions that are further highlighted by the intuitive performances from other members of the cast. Hopefully as time progresses the performances may evolve and improve and the Melbourne venue should be better suited to the production style.

Jo Litson, Limelight: Borg opens her production with Todd appearing from a séance, but the idea is not developed further. And though she writes in the program that she "wanted Lucy to be front of our minds as Sweeney's vendetta plays out", that doesn't eventuate. Warlow, however, is mesmerising from the moment he emerges. He is in superb form vocally, singing with a burnished, ravishingly beautiful tone; his voice rich and resonant across the register, and thrilling at the top. He is also a consummate actor and the character's emotional journey is immaculately detailed. When he first arrives in London, after 15 years in Australia, he shows us flashes of the honest, naive man that he once was. Encountering Mrs Lovett, he still has a sense of humour about him as well a dashing quality. But as his obsession to get even with the corrupt, lascivious judge increases, the character gradually darkens.

Frank Hatherley, Stage Whispers: The show's arrival on Broadway in 1979, 40 years ago, is living proof of the effective brilliance of Sondheim as both composer and lyricist. The words just dance. A word of warning: you'd better be cashed up if you go. The theatre at the International Convention Centre is not cheap. The cost of a seat goes up to $224 (program, $25). And anything less could land you in a seat way, way up the back. This theatre is made for concerts and solo superstars. Still, it keeps out the noises of the harbour, except for the Vivid fireworks which could be distinctly heard during Act One.

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