Sweeney Todd
Curtain Call Theatre Company.
Tuesday 25th-Saturday 29th
Formerly known as the Shropshire Youth Drama Group, Curtain Call theatre was born in 2009. One thing one might be inclined to say is initially the standard of the performers and chorus was incredibly high and the show Sweeney Todd, All two and a quarter hours of it, is a highly ambitious project full of challenge for the well appointed cast.
All of the principals were great but Sweeney and Toby were superb; both singing well and immersing deep into their characters. Then we had an absolute show stopping performance from Mrs. Lovett the evil pie maker, one sees that the challenges wer taken and run with, and the result was victory.
Firstly, apart from congratulating the cast and the massive amounts of work that they have put in one might say that designer, costumier and make up departments all did their incredible work. Again, I ask myself if I am really watching an amateur performance? Shrewsbury has a fine vein of talent here with aspirational performers who may go on to greater things, one always hopes so, and one is always proud of the town when someone gains their fame but never forgets their roots, here in the county town of Shropshire!
So, I must point out there were a couple of areas of concern that usually presents on a first night.
The lighting engineer did a marvellous job but the responsibilities the sound crew had to handle, sometimes got the better and one heard an occasional trickle of feedback and sometimes the balances and levels were wrong, and the music sometimes destroyed destroyed any chance of the songs being heard to their best ability.
To combat this one might suggest a serious amount of top and tailing is performed prior to the next performance and although the room will be empty top and tail as though it was a full show. Top and tailing is the real hard work of every character giving their top range and their bottom range in each song they partake in, so that the desk can be marked up and cued. Like one alluded to already it is hard work but it worth the time it takes. One was also distracted by the assumed conventions of singers singing different words to each other and yet at the same time. This device didn’t work as planned and confusion became the result.
The use of a Greek chorus was effective, but they must always remain in mic range, sometimes they were difficult to hear. Also, the temper tantrums felt uneasy and at times uncontrolled the shouting maybe too loud. One mustn’t make the audience uncomfortable. Finally, the music was sometimes just too loud.
But that is to be understood and if that was all the criticism that I had ever earned on my first nights I would be relatively satisfied, none of what has been said can’t be fixed so the first night is always a useful barometer to see where the show is and where it could be. However, there isn’t too much to worry about at all.
In summary this is a nice piece of theatre put together by a talented and committed cast and crew and this reviewer is looking forward excitedly at what they may bring to us next time.
This is a Three and a Half Star Review
Sofia Lewis.
Sofia is a successful playwright living in Shrewsbury. After graduating from Wolverhampton University in theatre. Sofia went on to become an actor and film maker. Her first play was published in 2015 and her plays have been seen all around the world. She is also the instigator of the popular concerts, The Sound Of Shrewsbury Folk. She has been writing with loveshrewsbury for 13 years and loves Theatre Severn and all she sees there.
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