“Sweeney Todd”, the latest offering from Gatepost Theatre Company, is not an easy feat. The music and lyrics of Sondheim are notoriously tricky, the staging of the barbershop above the bakery presents a challenge for amateur groups, and, with such a dark tale, it can be hard to find characters to root for and connect with. Thankfully, Gatepost Theatre are able to overcome all of these challenges and then some.
The musical tells the story of Sweeney Todd (Chris Collington – who also stepped into the role of Director and Musical Director for this production), the “Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, who returns to London seeking revenge after the murder of his wife and kidnap of his daughter. I was interested to learn in the programme that this backstory was not present in the original Victorian story released in the 1840s, but rather introduced to the story in 1973 by playwright Christopher Bond, in an attempt to add motivation to the barber’s actions.
Todd wants revenge on Judge Turpin (Simon Owen), who is holding his daughter Johanna (Kiah Smith) hostage and plans to marry her. A particularly disturbing scene saw Turpin flagellating himself after struggling to resist the young girl. Turpin is often joined by his servant Beadle (Luke Grainger), who exudes villainy in every sentence.
Whilst searching for a place to stay, Todd happens across the bakery of Mrs Lovett (Lottie Lodge), and rents a room above her. The two soon find themselves as accomplices in murder, baking rival barber Pirelli (Gary Heap) into a pie as a method for disposing the body.
Gatepost Theatre added a thrust to their staging, allowing for trapdoors in the stage which acted as the ovens in the bakery, where Todd would cook his victims before they became “Pie of the day”. This allowed for some intriguing entrances and exits through the floor of the stage, and also gave the actors plenty more room to play with.
The company also used masks that were worn by the ensemble throughout. I was unsure about this technique at first, but grew to appreciate it as the play went on. It made the main characters stand apart from the rest of the crowd, and also allowed actors to return post-death without the audience wondering how they had managed to rise from the dead.
The singing was superb throughout, and I was particularly impressed with Smith and Jack Lawrence as Anthony, who performed the song “Kiss Me”, singing different lyrics to the same tune without putting a foot wrong. I also enjoyed the duet “Not while I’m around”, sung by Lodge and Harrison Ince as Tobias – proving that the more subdued, character-building moments were the true heart of this production and thankfully were not overshadowed by the more gruesome moments (although I enjoyed the gruesome moments too!)
Overall, this was a great night out, with a fantastic team putting on an entertaining production – and, having not seen Sweeney Todd before, the twist at the end took me by surprise (for those who haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil it, but all I’ll say is, watch out for Jude Cliffman as the Beggar Woman!). I look forward to seeing what Gatehouse Theatre have to offer next.
Gatehouse Theatre’s next production “School of Rock” will play 12th-16th September at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton.
Tom Morley, April 2023
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