For many years Cranleigh School’s visiting barber was legendary local marathon runner Roy Redford, known affectionately to the pupils in those days as ‘Chopper Roy’. From 10th March to the 14th of March the same Speech Hall stage-boards, beneath which Roy used to trim the boys’ hair, echoed to the voice of another more sinister legendary barber: the ‘Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ himself, Sweeney Todd. Amateur productions of this complex and challenging ‘musical thriller’, first seen on Broadway in 1979, are rare enough, but very few schools have the resources or the talent to stage so professional a production as this year’s Cranleigh production, directed by Martin Allison and conducted and rehearsed by Marcus Pashley. 

 

 

The audience were fortunate to be able to be entertained by singers with the acting skills as well as the vocal techniques to cover all ten major roles in this very demanding score. Tom Chevis played the title role with ferocious, psychotic intensity and searing vocal power. One of many highlights of the show was the duet ‘Pretty Women’ with Dominic Murray as Judge Turpin, and Hannah Smoker superbly found the vein of black humour needed for the human-pie maker Mrs Lovett. The gruesome plot was vividly enhanced by the set design of Peter McNiven and the lighting design of technical director Chris Wilson.

 

The love story sub-plot was radiantly sung by Tom Lyle with Vanessa Mitchell and Alice Bryant sharing the role of Johanna. Two singers were also used for the Beggar Woman, Sweeney’s final victim in the dark and unsentimental ending: Tory Sawyer and Gayle Telford.  The strength-in-depth of singing and acting talent meant that the other major character parts were cast as strongly as the principals: the mellifluous Ed Griffiths; the hilarious Charlie Hunt; the lugubrious Chris Williams and the deeply touching James Currie. The chorus of 26 pupils were supported by a 21-piece band and well over 50 further pupils and staff filled the vital backstage and technical roles. Head Guy Waller added “Music and Drama lie at the very heart of Cranleigh School and the pupils’ passion for performance was stronger than ever in Martin and Marcus’s production. I am immensely proud that our talented technical and design crew can help us put on a show of genuine West End quality”.

 

PJL