What a production this is. The triumvirate creative team is the cream of Australian Opera with director Neil Armfield making his Covent Garden debut. Brian Thompson’s minimalist settings gives the cast freedom to work unhampered by oppressive scenery. It also provides the opportunity for Armfield and lighting designer Rory Dempster to punctuate the production with brilliant shadow play. That liberation is echoed in Tess Schofield’s costumes.
The coup was bringing maestro Paul Gemignani to conduct the score he first addressed in the original Broadway production.
Thomas Allen is faultless as the barber - a subtle portrait not of a monster but a man demented by Turpin’s cruelty. Despite a hesitant start, Felicity Palmer’s Mrs Lovett grows in stature to become a tower of comic strength. Doug Jones is a sensitive Tobias whose Not While I’m Around is endearing. Vocal colour is integral to this piece and while William Dazeley and Rebecca Evans are fine singers, their voices are overly rich for the young lovers. Tenors Robert Tear and Bonaventura Bottone are superb as the Beadle and Pirelli, while Rosalind Plowright is a dramatic Beggar Woman. Jonathan Viera courageously battling with a motorcycle injury the previous day is a menacing Turpin. The 24-strong chorus prove a powerful ensemble, also providing some superb soloists.
Adrenalin flows from stage to auditorium with everyone aware that they are taking part in a unique theatrical experience. The debate in the interval was heated but whatever else, Sondheim’s greatest work sits comfortably on that hallowed stage.
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Production information can change over the run of the show.
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