WA Opera's sold-out Sweeney Todd cuts to the core
The highly-anticipated by Stephen Sondheim did not disappoint at His Majesty’s Theatre's production of the macabre infamous musical born in Broadway in 1979.
WA Opera’s Sweeney Todd – the Demon Barber of Fleet Street - delivered a comedic element permitting the audience to laugh out loud despite the dark undertones of this musical.
As the scene opens the music reminds me of a Vincent Price movie, eerie with a hint of black comedy.
The set was well designed without over clutter or unnecessary use of props, instead designing lighting to portray both ambience and horror, music delivered by Brett Waymark was magnificently orchestrated bestowing the audience with just the right amount of accents throughout.
It was obvious from the diversity of the audience that the story of Sweeney Todd has captivated both young and old, the die-hard WA Opera supporters and the young millennials who fell in love with movie adaptation from 2006 lead by Johhny Depp.
The idea that this musical bore from a possible true murderer in London during the 19th century seems to evoke even more support from our present modern era.
Sitting with my 17-year-old daughter knowing she knew the musical score, the characters and the storyline sharing with me that the “Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is one of her favourite musicals.
It was surprisingly refreshing to see WA Opera embark on a cult musical classic, applying the trained vocal scholastics of seasoned opera performers, with the power of their voices adding to the ambience of the musical, giving layers of depth to the leading characters.
Mrs Lovett played by Antoinette Halloran was a standout performance.
Demonstrating her ability to entertain the audience with her raucous behaviour adding an element of humour throughout her own gruesome desires to support the lead character of Sweeney Todd, convincingly performed by Ben Mingay.
Mingay epitomises the tormented soul of his character, returning to London after being banished to Australia for a crime he did not commit.
This is the anchor to his revenge. He commanded the role of Todd committed to avenging the perceived death of his beloved tortured wife, Lucy and lost child, Johanna.
The most uncomfortable scene is Judge Turpin’s desperate desires singing the original version of Johanna Mea Culpa.
This portrayal left the audience both shocked and unnerved as James Clayton is utterly convincing whilst flagellating himself during this performance.
WA Opera should be commended for staying true to the original score, as this has been removed from several performances globally.
Without a doubt this WA season was cut too short, as Sweeney Todd had sold out for Saturday night's final show.
The production was brilliantly directed to appeal to a 2019 audience, given the elements of rape, paedophilic lust, psychopathic killings, mental illness and grotesque human flesh-eating, all served in an incredibly entertaining, humouress and skilled musical portrayal.