For those unfamiliar with Sweeney Todd, in brief, famous barber Sweeney (Matt Wilkinson) returns from a penal colony, learns from Mrs Lovett (Annabel Lloyd) that his wife poisoned herself after being raped by Judge Turpin (Richard de Winter), whose ward his daughter (Isabella Gage) has now become, and vows revenge. Dark, comic action ensues, with romantic sideplot and cannabilism included, just in case you get bored.

The cast of the show entertain and hold the audience's attention with relative ease for the entire performance. In a cramped, cavern-like theatre where your own beads of sweat are as visible as the shining blade of Sweeney's razor this is no easy task: praise is particularly deserved for the considered use of this difficult and claustrophobic performance space.

Yet, despite being a thoroughly entertaining show, there is something about Sweeney Todd that leaves you feeling uneasy, and it isn't Mrs. Lovett's meat pies. As is rife in so many musicals, the problem that hangs ov er the entire cast is apparent here in Sweeney: the clear disparity between singing and acting ability.

there is something about Sweeney Todd that leaves you feeling uneasy

For a show that claims it has a ‘hand-picked cast of Cambridge's finest singing and acting talent' it is unfortunate that, quite bluntly, this is not the case. Captivating though the singing is, the acting, both during dialogue and song, is lacking. Matt Wilkinson, despite presenting an engaging portrait of a man's descent into homicidal madness, rages around the stage from very early on, leaving nowhere to go with his performance except towards disheartening over-exaggeration. This might have been easily rectified had he not also directed the production though it. If the direction is a contributing factor then all credit, however, to his assistant director, Annabel Lloyd, who o ffers an extremely strong performance as Mrs. Lovett. Charming throughout, she holds the audience's attention in the palm of her hand, shaping their emotional reactions to match her own character's feelings.

Carlo Bosticco, as Pirelli, the fraudulent barber, offers comic relief from the generally wooden acting of both Richard de Winter and Chris Hancock (as Anthony). Though both talented singers, their feelings towards Sweeney's daughter unfortunately felt more like the disinterested attentions of competitive teenagers then uncontrollable infatuation and true love.

Sweeney was certainly a highlight of the fringe, but the few problems with the production were, regrettably, glaring. With closer performance direction this could have been a superb show.

Four Stars

Uriel Adiv