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The Royal Festival Hall's presentation of Sweeney Todd is much more elaborate than we might expect from a "semi-staging", with all cast members in some semblance of costume, extensive props and most of the podium for the company to work on.
With the band swept into a corner, David Freeman's groupings and use of the resources he has at his disposal is characteristically imaginative and goes a long way towards overcoming the limitations.
Stephen Sondheim seems to have become accepted into the music establishment of this country but, with a sub-standard Sweeney Todd at the Royal Opera House a couple of years ago and a provincial rep-style Into the Woods at the Linbury recently, he's overdue for a decent production if this cross-over into the opera house is to prove fully justified.
Without the distractions of a scrappy staging, and with a successful blend of opera and musical singers, this concert version of Sondheim's dark masterpiece in one of London's premiere music venues helps validate his elevation to the portals of high art. Opera singers (Bryn Terfel and a vocally agile Adrian Thompson) work alongside top-notch musical stars (Maria Friedman, Philip Quast, Daniel Evans and Emma Williams) and there's a wealth of Sondheim experience among them.
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There are cuts (no pun intended) and the main victim is Judge Turpin, who loses his 'Mea Culpa' number, thus reducing his part considerably. It's a shame because Philip Quast (himself a potentially fine Sweeney) sings beautifully what's left to him. In his 'Pretty Women' duet with Terfel, we see the sparring of two great performers.
© OMH
