★★★★

Reviewer - Emmie

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.

The first night teething issues performing one of the most notable productions by the late Stephen Sondheim did not dampen the spirit of LAOS’ production of Sweeney Todd. Written back in 1979, this Loughborough-based company have done a excellent job at producing a dark but brilliant staging to be proud of.

Sweeney Todd is an iconic character, which has grabbed the attention of audiences over the years. Many iterations in it's time, but the most popular was certainly the 2007 hit film adaption which starred Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Audiences love this dark tale of murder, revenge and pie like no other and its no surprise that people are drawn to seeing it on the stage.

19th century London is the setting for this production where an unjustly exiled barber returns to seek vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. His road leads him to Mrs Lovett, who together they become a duo that turns Todd’s thirst for blood into the main ingredient for her failing pie shop.

The Loughborough LAOS company bring to life Sondheim’s spine-tingling score, helped largely by the wonderful band they have. Sweeney Todd is a production which largely relies on the musical score to play the role of the narrative and this company boldly work through it. There are definitely things which need to flow more naturally but they take it all in their stride and will surely be ironed out after the first night. The dark and tense atmosphere of this musical is definitely there and the strong ensemble in this production develop this production with their presence in scenes.

Leading this company is Ryan Sargisson and Alix Ashurst as Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett. They have a well crafted and powerful relationship with one another that works so well. Ryan Sargisson has great presence as Todd, he comfortably hits the level of menace and eeriness about this character as well as having a great voice for his musical numbers. He definitely just needs to give a little bit more in this role in order for it to be stronger, it felt like he was still holding back a little. Alix Ashurst as Mrs Lovett was an excellent choice. She has a lovely sense of wickedness and her presence on stage is felt instantly throughout the whole performance. Ashurst did a great job of making it through the tricky articulation of the musical numbers too.

However there was something particularly sparky and brilliant about Daniel Robinson. Taking on the role of Tobias, he delivers great energy to the character throughout the show. I was captivated entirely by his presence.

It is quite a lengthy production at 2 hours 45 minutes, including an interval so it is quite difficult for this company to sustain the level of intensity needed for a production like Sweeney Todd.

However, it definitely has the potential to grow over its short run at the Loughborough Town Hall and the company should be proud with their result.

Sweeney Todd runs at the Loughborough Town Hall until Saturday 11th March 2023.