Sweeney Todd
15 - 19 November 2005
Director and choreographer: Ray Jeffery
Musical director: Trevor Defferd
The Haymarket, Basingstoke
Evenings: 7:30 pm, Saturday matinee: 3:00 pm
To coincide with Stephen Sondheim’s 75th birthday in March this year, join us for this powerful musical thriller – a melodrama set on the foggy, menacing streets of 19th century London, featuring the butchering barber of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd.
In Victorian England, Sweeney Todd has just been released from jail for a crime he did not commit. The former barber has only one thing on his mind: revenge against the corrupt judge who framed him, murdered his wife, and stole his daughter. Teaming up with the larger-than-life Mrs. Lovett, a struggling baker of meat pies, the "demon barber of Fleet Street" cooks up a hilariously macabre plan that fulfils both their needs … but in a very unexpected way! Comedy, tragedy, romance, and madness combine brilliantly in this gripping musical, which won eight Tony Awards in 1979 - including Best Musical.
‘Sweeney Todd’ is often acknowledged as the greatest musical Stephen Sondheim ever wrote – impressive when you consider his list of credits. His first Broadway job was writing the lyrics for ‘West Side Story’. He went on to write music and lyrics for shows including ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’, ‘Company’, ‘Follies’, ‘A Little Night Music’, and ‘Into the Woods’.
His best known songs include ‘Maria’, ‘Tonight’, and ‘Somewhere’ (all from ‘West Side Story’) and ‘Send in the Clowns’ (‘A Little Night Music’). ‘Sweeney Todd’ also boasts a dazzling score, with its songs ‘Pretty Women’ and ‘Not While I’m Around’ brought to a wider public by Barbra Streisand on her Broadway Albums.
Box office tel: 01256 844244
Group bookings tel: 01256 366935
PRESS Reviews
"One heck of an impressively gripping night out for those lucky enough to be in the audience."
The Basingstoke Gazette - Read full review
"From the first stunning tableau; to the final grisly murder, it was all a treat for the eyes and ears."
Newbury Weekly News - Read full review
Production Photos
Cast
Sweeney Todd
Robert Wilson
Mrs. Lovett
Tracey Gonzato
Tobias Ragg
Bryn Hughes
Judge Turpin
George Tinsley
Johanna
Theresa Lunn
Anthony Hope
Stephen Westwood
Beggar Woman
Siobhan FitzPatrick
Beadle Bamford
Gary J. Myers
Signor Adolfo Pirelli
David Allard
Mr. Fogg / Bird Seller
Richard Bond
Three Tenors
Keith Shergold
Olvier Hughes
Pete Chandler
Quintet
Dawn Wylie
Rachel Glover
Richard Bond
Oliver Hughes
Pete Chandler
Gravediggers
Nick Horsey
Tony Ward
Policemen
Pete Chandler
Simon Waller
Prisoner
Nick Brannam
Other Victims of the Chair
Matt Green
Nick Horsey
Ensemble: Inhabitants of London, crowds and asylum lunatics: Kirsty Bennett, Clare Brown, Elizabeth Flaherty, Lesley German, Katy German, Rachel Glover, Sarah Jeffery, Steve Jeffery, Jack Juniper, Abigail Parsons, Luke Ruffell, Rita Savickaite, Ian "Spud" Smith, Lliz Walsh, Myra Ward, Colin Webb
Creative team
Director and Choreographer
Ray Jeffery
Musical Director
Trevor Defford
Assistants to the Director
Jim Welling, Caroline Stanley
Dance Captain
xxx
Production Manager
Simon Waller
Stage Manager
Nick Horsey
Deputy Stage Manager
Peter Brenchley
Fly Crew
Andy Christopher, Beanie Potten, Mike Jacobs, Mike McKeown, Stu Macintosh
Stage Crew
Maurice Berridge, Gareth Davies, Graeme Duncanson, James Farmer, Matt Green, Iain Majcher, Tony Ward
Lighting and Sound
Viking Stage Lighting
Follow Spot Operators
Keith Reynolds, Sam Reynold
Scenery Supplied by
Scenic & Property Hire, South Wales
Props Coordinators
Libby Ruskell, Jo Dell
Wardrobe Mistress
Abigail Parsons
Assistant Wardrobe Mistress
Siobhan FitzPatrick
Costumier
Homburgs and BATS Wardrobe
Additional Costume Making
Siobhan Chapman, Judith Ifould
Wigs
"Big Wigs" trading at Edward James Cutting Rooms, Basingstoke
Make-up Mistress
Judith Ifould
Continuity
Richard Cox and Anthony Mitchell
Marketing and PR Officer
Bryn Hughes
Programme Photographs
Dave Webb
Show Photographs
Jan Brayley
Programme Creation
Bryn Hughes and Keith Shergold
Licensing information
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Hugh Wheeler. From an adaptation by Christopher Bond. Originally directed by Harold Prince. Originally produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards in association with Deal & Judy Manos.
Presented by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Limited, on behalf of Music Theatre International of New York.