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This brief revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical black comedy is part of the celebrations to mark the Royal Festival Hall's reopening following a two-year, £111m makeover.
David Freeman's production features the kind of cast that one would not normally expect to see outside a gala performance. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Royal Festival Hall run was sold out even before the first of the four shows opened.
Though billed as a concert performance, Freeman actually presents something that is well-staged and could easily pass for a full staging, especially with such a large cast. This is supplemented by an onstage orchestra, the London Philharmonic under Stephen Barlow, no less. When all come together, the musical power is awesome.
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All roads to vengeance lead to the evil Judge Turpin played by Philip Quast, most recently seen playing Juan Peron in Evita and now getting a couple of great opportunities to match voices with Terfel. Turpin has not only left Todd's wife a fallen woman but also taken the barber's daughter as a ward and prospective wife.
© Peter Lathan 2006
