SWEENEY TODD – THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
DIRECTOR: Steven Stead
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Rowan Bakker
CAST: Jonathan Roxmouth, Charon Williams-Ros, Michael Richard, Cameron Botha, Sanli Jooste, Anne-Marie Clulow, Jaco van Rensburg, Adam Pelkowoitz and the company
VENUE: Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre
UNTIL: November 29
RATING: 4 stars (out of 5)
Diane de Beer
It’s almost as if Stephen Sondheim had two performers like Charon Williams-Ros and Jonathan Roxmouth in mind when creating this dark musical, so perfectly styled and skilled are they for these roles.
This isn’t easy entertainment or sweet on the ear musically, but you would be missing out on two standout performances by these consummate artists and an intriguing production. It’s dark and broody, messy and maligned, but also weirdly funny and massively entertaining while you concentrate not to miss a note or a Sondheim lyric. While the music is not by numbers as is often the case in musicals, the intricacies are a delight to navigate and very much a part of setting the mood for this penny-dreadful melodrama.
The lyrics take you into the heart of this menacing tale and again, blow you away…
Seems an awful waste...
Such a nice, plump frame
Wot’s ’is name has...
Had...
Has!
Nor it can’t be traced...
Bus’ness needs a lift,
Debts to be erased...
Think of it as thrift,
As a gift,
If you get my drift!
How can you not grin at Mrs Lovett’s musical explanation of the sudden deliciousness of her homemade pies!
Sweeney Todd makes it especially clear why Sondheim is regarded as the best, yet so tough to sing. These aren’t pretty melodies with sweet lyrics. The notes are often hard to crack, yet perfect for this poisonous pair, with Roxmouth and Williams-Ros bringing genius to the parts.
So when you wonder about local talent again, don’t. We have it in spades and when asked to deliver, they can and do, magnificently.
It’s almost sad for the others on stage and yet, it is because the rest of the company (with special mention of Jooste, Clulow and Van Rensburg) perform at peak that they act as the perfect foil for the barber and the baker in this particular tale.
When Todd steps on stage you might not recognise Roxmouth who has a bald head for this occasion, yet all the better to capture the deadly serial shaver as he cackles at the thought of another victim. The Durban-based Williams-Ros isn’t as well known in Gauteng, but this one will change all that.
While Roxmouth shifted up another notch in what he can achieve on stage, Williams-Ros brings an intelligence to her character which allows the dastardly duo to play off one another deliciously while delivering every breath and note that’s demanded. It’s awesome to witness.
The association between KickstArt and Pieter Toerien has burgeoned and blossomed into something special for local musical theatre. They’ve laid down a template as they travel from one city to the next in spite of the extreme difficulties, adding value to their productions and precious time for the show to develop and the performers to peak.
Stead as director and Greg King as designer stamp their productions with class, bringing yet more talent to the table and in our small pool, we need as much variety as possible.
From King’s design bag which produces more fun than can be imagined, to the casting genius which not only paired the two leads, but has reached wide for a company that is unexpected, a production creatively staged – and yes, again, the leads who can simply keep taking bows, if you want musical theatre with both heart and a most devilish mind, this is it.