Tag Archives: Tooting Arts Club

“Barbarians” at the former Central Saint Martins College

The Tooting Arts Club, a company that revels in having no permanent home, had enormous success last year with its staging of Sweeney Todd, first in a pie-and-mash shop and then next door to the Queen’s Theatre. Back in town, with Bill Buckhurst’s accomplished revival of Barrie Keeffe’s trilogy of short plays, it has now taken over a former art school. It’s fair to say that the work – dealing with youth unemployment, football hooliganism and racial violence – hits harder than most West End fare.

Following Paul, Jan and Louis as they dabble in petty crime, before finding factory jobs and then going their separate ways, is pretty depressing. Keeffe injects a lot of humour, which the performers respond to eagerly, but the frustration and fear that fill their adolescence doesn’t make for comfortable viewing. The plays may be 40 years old but, apart from some fun with a themed bar, they are sadly still relevant. These three may seem a little more naïve than teenagers today, but they’re probably just less well connected – the absence of mobile phones is noticeable.

Killing Time is the first one-act play. We get to know the boys in a relatively light-hearted way as they make trouble while on the dole. There’s a great use of the space as they sit with the audience and scamper around tables, along with some extremely offensive language. Josh Williams’ Louis engenders most sympathy. Having completed a course, he may be an expert on refrigeration, but he can master little else. Abide With Me is set outside the FA cup final, as the trio wait for tickets, predictably let down by an adult in their lives. Their search for belonging is palpable, whether as military cadets or football fans: “the best army there is,” says Thomas Coombes’ Paul in a performance that brims with aggression.

For the finale, In The City, we’ve moved from Lewisham, via Wembley to the Notting Hill Carnival. The boys are older, although I hesitate to use the word grown up. Jan (Jake Davies) has become a soldier, whose terror at his imminent departure to Northern Ireland informs an impressive monologue. A chance encounter with Louis results in a senseless and disturbing attack – the threat of violence hangs over all three plays, and when it arrives it shocks to the core. There’s a lot to praise about Barbarians, not least three excellent performances, but this powerful and insightful show comes with a warning.

Until 7 November 2015

www.sohotheatre.com

Photo by Cesare De Giglio

“Sweeney Todd” at the English National Opera

Lonny Price’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd has been widely anticipated since its rapturous reception in New York last year. Now the hot ticket at the ENO, opera megastar Bryn Terfel plays the demon barber, seeking revenge for the injustice that ruined his family while supplying his landlady Mrs Lovett with filling for her cannibalistic pies.

The jewels at the centre of the production are the orchestra and chorus. It’s a precious treat to hear a Sondheim score performed so masterfully, under the baton of David Charles Abell, while a massive chorus, of mostly young musical theatre performers, benefits from the Coliseum’s impressive acoustics and thrilling atmosphere. This Sweeney Todd sounds fantastic.

ENO Sweeney Todd Emma Thompson and ensemble (c) Tristram Kenton
Emma Thompson and ensemble

The quality of many secondary roles is notable. Matthew Seadon-Young and Katie Hall are irresistible as the young lovers Anthony and Johanna. Hall’s performance of ‘Green Finch and Linnet Bird’ is the best I’ve heard. The excellent Rosalie Craig plays the Beggar Woman and Philip Quast is superb as the villainous Judge Turpin.

But what of the stars? There’s an impression we wouldn’t be here without Terfel and Emma Thompson as Mrs Lovett, here returning to the stage after 25 years. The audience response may be hysterical but minimal chemistry between the leads means they aren’t really a dream team. Thompson’s celebrity aura never quite leaves her – it doesn’t help she’s dressed like Helena Bonham Carter on a night out – and while her voice is surprisingly strong she is not that funny. It’s a serious allegation but I suspect a moment of shameful scene stealing as a curtseying exit is carried on far too long. Terfel isn’t the greatest actor you’ll ever see, but casting him makes sense. His stage presence cannot be doubted, and any inadequacies can be forgiven for his magnificent voice: pray for a cast recording.

Despite Terfel’s magisterial voice and that wonderful orchestra, Price presents a stripped-back Sweeney Todd. A minimal feel plays with the idea of a concert performance, with musicians on stage interacted with and simple banners used for signage. Musical instruments are transformed into props and the sense of scale comes from the large numbers of people on stage.

Price’s staging is witty and clever but there’s an unwanted irony that couldn’t have been anticipated. This kind of inventiveness, abundant and impressive as it is, is usually seen on the fringe rather than in an opera house. For those lucky enough to have seen the Tooting Arts Club’s production of Sweeney, which has its own West End transfer, it makes for a strange comparison. The two productions couldn’t be of more different scales but it’s possible, and oddly inspiring, that a small team from South London has made the more memorable show.

Until 12 April 2015

www.eno.org.uk

Photo by Tristram Kenton

“Sweeney Todd” at Harrington’s Pie & Mash Shop

Stephen Sondheim’s wonderful musical about the demon barber of Fleet Street, a psychotic shaver whose murdered customers were put into pies by Mrs Lovett, is always worth going to see. Staging it in a real pie shop is a stroke of genius. Believe it or not, you even pick up your tickets for the show in the barbers across the road.

More than on being on trend with immersive theatre, the staging goes to the heart of the production company’s ambitions: The Tooting Arts Club aims to unite theatre with the community in inspired fashion, and has created a very special event.

Harrington’s Pie and Mash Shop, close to Tooting Broadway Tube, was established in 1908 and is still family run. It’s a tiny place with the kind of basic design beloved of hipster photographers. There’s nowhere to hide and, with only a trio of musicians accompanying, the weight on the cast to make this show work is huge. With director Bill Buckhurst’s help, the production rockets higher than the sales of Mrs Lovett’s pies. Standing on the tables, chatting to the crowd, each performer works incredibly hard. The singing, against the stripped-back score, in such a confined space, is awe-inspiring and the acting skills hard to beat.

Jeremy Secomb makes a superb Todd. Respect to him for playing it really scary, as it would be easier to go for the laughs in a space like this. Secomb provides the grim depth the character deserves and his voice is superb. The hugely talented Siobhán McCarthy plays his accomplice in crime, Lovett, with excellent comic skill. There are few chances to applaud during Sweeney Todd  – clapping seems like an interruption – it’s hard not to with McCarthy’s numbers.

Sweeney Todd usually soaks up a plentiful cast, with lots of extras for those big London crowd scenes, but here we have just six other performers, all of whom are wonderful. Grace Chapman and Nadim Naaman play the charming young couple Johanna and Anthony, Duncan Smith and Ian Mowat are excellent as the villainous men in power, and Joseph Taylor is great as the young Toby. Special mention to Kiara Jay, who seems to be everywhere, though credited as performing just two roles. The whole ensemble revels in the extraordinary buzz around the setting.

What does the unique setting add? To be honest, less than you want to admit. And it has to be said that it’s incredibly uncomfortable; crammed onto a bench with a twisted neck all night. But if you like your musicals up close and personal you can’t get more intimate than just 32 seats. The staging is a huge achievement but the real boast is the excellent production itself.

Until 29 November 2014

www.tootingartsclub.co.uk

Photo by Bronwen Sharp