Sondheim's great music drama Sweeney Todd has not been performed nearly enough in Scotland. While the composer and librettist always denied that this was an opera, it has to be said that in recent years it has been performed largely by opera companies. But here we have the students of the Conservatoire, specifically the Final Year BA Musical Theatre course, participating in a complex and demanding enterprise.
Nowadays, of course, as with every producer, the Conservatoire has to present potential audience members with a list of the dreadful events of which they should be aware, and, if necessary steel themselves.
Alright, everyone, the show does involve cannibalism. The last of this long list of warnings is 'animal death' - Mrs Lovett's pies are clearly not suitable for vegetarians.
It isn't long since the Conservatoire's last staging. It has also been done by rep theatres. Perth gave its Scottish premiere with Donald Maxwell and Linda Ormiston.
More recently, in 2010, Dundee Rep presented it when the company's director was James Brining, an expert hand with musical theatre. Brining later moved to Leeds, but is now back in Scotland, based at the Lyceum in Edinburgh. Let's hope that he will be able to resume his work on musicals. His interpretation of the early Kander & Ebb show Flora, the Red Menace at Dundee was especially memorable
New Athenaeum Theatre | Glasgow
2 Dec, 19.00 3 Dec, 19.00 4 Dec, 19.00 5 Dec, 19.00
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