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In his early days, the demon barber of Fleet Street terrorised areas of popular entertainment, such as Broadway and the West End. More recently he has appealed to a high-brow clientele, whether at the Lyric Opera of Chicago or New York's Avery Fisher Hall, or the Royal Opera House in London and Opera North in Leeds.
Sondheim's Sweeney Todd has become the archetypal in-between work - more than a musical, less than an opera. It is the ideal piece for managements to put on if they are concerned about having an exclusive image and want to attract a wider crowd, so it fits the policy at the Southbank Centre nicely.
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Maria Friedman makes a wickedly delightful Mrs Lovett, although she suffers from the inaudibility of words; Philip Quast is a sturdily sung Judge Turpin; Daniel Evans makes a meal out of the small role of Tobias; Adrian Thompson is brilliant at Pirelli's Italian patter, less so with his Irish brogue; and Daniel Boys as Anthony, fresh from his BBC outing in Any Dream Will Do, lyrically serenades Emma Wlliams, who makes a cold girl out of Johanna. David Freeman's direction is quick-witted. Stephen Barlow conducts the LPO and the balance between voices and orchestra is mostly good.
© The Financial Times Limited 2007
