Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tooting Arts Club) NYC Reviews and Tickets

“Masterfully directed by Bill Buckhurst…What roots the production is Secomb’s chill fury and seeming physical restraint, which makes his explosions of violence that much more memorable…Your nerves at being within the action command as much of your attention as the performances, and the three wonderful musicians who manage to sound like a full orchestra…McCarthy’s fantastic performance perfectly captures Mrs. Lovett’s homely and hungry embodiment of the diabolical.”
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“A riotously entertaining evening you won’t soon forget…The brilliance of the work, directed by Bill Buckhurst, is that while it generates plenty of laughs, it never loses touch with the terror of the story…The production is a marvel of site-specific theater, using the audience to help tell the story in a tightly packed room in which sounds and lights are pretty much the only staging aids…It’s theater-in-the-small, but it has a big impact."
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“Secomb’s performance is threatening and physical, and you’ll wow at the way he becomes unbuttoned and lost in the world during the macabre and cherished first act climax…All the familiar numbers are well-executed…Candlelight, a three-person orchestra give the production its atmosphere without any extravagant pyrotechnics…Here, we get a new twist on an old favorite, a particularly satisfying staging that’s a treat for all of the senses, even taste.”
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“A gimmick to be sure...But this production also reaches the heights of horror that some other productions rarely achieve. The director Bill Buckhurst abetted by his two terrific leads and an excellent supporting cast knows how to keep their audience shivering with delight…The effectively reduced orchestration/arrangements still fill our senses with haunting musical treats…A splendid production that will undoubtedly leave you craving for another helping of meat pie and mash.”
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"With the actors right up in your grill—and prancing on top of tables—the feeling is immediate and accessible, capturing the dark humor of the piece, with all the wit, pathos, and weirdness intact...Jeremy Secomb is powerfully brooding as the demon barber with a taste for blood, Siobhan McCarthy is wonderfully adorable and grotesque...This may be Sondheim’s most fabulous work, and by stripping things to the bone, this production makes it soar again."
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"The real wonder of all this is that it never feels gimmicky -- just a full-on, assault-all-your-senses immersion into one of the greatest musicals ever crafted...Occasionally you may yearn for a little more distance from the action. But Buckhurst, Secomb and the smashing Siobhan McCarthy have succeeded in restoring all the intensity and Grand Guignol creepiness to a musical thriller that can devolve into kitsch. See this once-in-a-lifetime production at all costs."
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"Wheeler and Sondheim have constructed a masterful morality tale, which warns of the dangers of blind vengeance. The theme is evident in Secomb’s utterly brilliant performance. His face is alive with the light of madness, his entire body on a continual hair trigger, and woe to anyone who gets in his way...Greatly adding to the production’s overall impact is the excellent work of director Bill Buckhurst and choreographer Georgina Lamb...An altogether satisfying meal."
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"A somewhat softer and, at times, funnier show than when it first opened, which allows for a more well-rounded, if not always as intense, presentation...Lewis and Carmello, who does a very fine turn as the duplicitous Mrs. Lovett, have an excellent sense of timing, allowing some of the more comical moments to really shine...Buckhurst’s direction is pitch-perfect...This production takes what is essentially an epic story...and reduces it to something quite intimate."
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