They Say: Sweeney Todd Chichester Reviews

I'd forgotten what a rich, sonorous voice Ball has, like taking a bath in milk and honey, and it's used to glorious effect on Sondheim's complex music and lyrics. Ball's Sweeney, consumed with vengeful bitterness over his wrongful conviction at the hands of a corrupt judge and the consequent destruction of his family, is a commanding, brooding presence.

Verdict: **** Fiona Mountford, The Evening Standard (read the review here)

Productions of Sondheim's dark masterpiece tend to oscillate between a quasi-industrial vastness and a psychologically revealing intimacy. The great quality of Jonathan Kent's superb revival is that it has elements of both. Anthony Ward's design, with its circular gallery filled with gaping windows, evokes the seething activity of a dilapidated, working-class London. But, while providing a portrait of a society that is more early-20th century than mid-Victorian, there is an intense focus on individuals.

Verdict: ***** Michael Billington, The Guardian (read the review here)

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Stephen Sondheim’s original 1979 Broadway production won eight Tony Awards including Best Actress in a Musical for Angela Lansbury who starred as the pitiable pie maker ‘Mrs Lovett’. The last West End revival was in 2004, directed by John Doyle, and became famous for having no orchestra with the 10-strong cast playing their own instruments on stage. A feature film based on Sondheim’s original show was released in 2007. It was directed by Tim Burton and starred Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.