The reviews have been pouring in for Sweeney Todd, and the critics are unanimous, Sweeney Todd is the musical you’ll not want to miss.
Colin Thomas from The Georgia Straight says:
“Bloody good. Sweeney Todd is the big musical you’ll want to see this season.”
“Alex McMorran hurls himself into the title role with bone-chilling fury and pitch-black wit. His fearlessness is thrilling.”
“Cathy Wilmot swaggers through the role of Mrs. Lovett, having the time of her life as she spins the material to hilarious heights.”
“These two [McMorran and Wilmot] share “A Little Priest”, which is the Act 1 closer, and they pull it off with such panache that they had the opening-night audience howling its approval.”
“Young Chris Harvey has the voice of an angel. When that voice combines with the liquid soprano of Krista Gibbard, the results are downright transporting.”
“This mounting is a musical triumph for such a small company.”
“Fighting Chance Productions also manages to mount a visually satisfying version of a show that’s usually associated with lavish trappings. Set designer Amanda Larder has built two huge set pieces out of scaffolding and clad them in stylishly hand-painted canvas.”
“Once again, Fighting Chance has proven itself to be the little company that can.”
From Mark Robins, GayVancouver.net:
“Never ones to shy away from a challenge, Fighting Chance Productions takes on Stephen Sondheim’s tricky Sweeney Todd with some bloody good results.”
Chris Harvey and Krista Gibbard in Fighting Chance Productions' Sweeney Todd
“Director Ryan Mooney has the immense abilities of McMorran and Wilmot to propel the story and make it such an entertaining endeavour.”
“McMorran is just the right amount of just-on-the-edge insane; as an example, in “By The Sea” he danced, literally and figuratively, so easily on that edge, I had chills.”
“Wilmot, who has proven her worth a number of times in previous Fighting Chance shows, once again proves her ample comedic skills and singing abilities – she is simply mesmerizing to watch. Put the two together and there was no stopping them.”
“There were also some other wonderful performances among the other cast members including both Chris Harvey and Krista Gibbard.”
“Amanda Larder makes the most of her obviously small budget in creating a multi-level set from some scaffolding and her spare, stylized set pieces fit well with the tone of the story. Setting a perfect mood, costume designer Banafsheh Tabrizi and lighting designer Graham Ockley gives us a palette of bloody reds, dark blacks and many shadows.”
“A solid and perfectly quirky production Fighting Chance Productions has proven that they are definitely up to the challenge of Sweeney Todd.”
From Cassie Silva, ReviewVancouver.org
Arne Larsen in Fighting Chance Productions' Sweeney Todd
“I can’t imagine a better way to spend the weeks leading up to Halloween than taking in a performance of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
“Alex McMorran plays the title role, and it was thrilling watching his transformation from brooding barber to murderous madman.”
“Chris Harvey and Krista Gibbard were well-matched love interests, both in vocal talent and on-stage chemistry.”
“The feisty Cathy Wilmot was the perfect choice as Mrs. Nellie Lovett, a pie maker who hopes to be more than just a landlady to Sweeney Todd.”
“Arne Larsen brought a well-delivered dash of humour to the delightfully unlikeable Judge Turpin.”
“The most poignant and flawless number of the entire show was the touching duet between Wilmot and Jeremy Fornier-Hanlon called “Not While I’m Around”.
“My favourite scene was the hilarious “shave-off” featuring the comedic talents of the brilliant Eric Alexander Steel as Pirelli.”
“The strong ensemble is what really brought this show together – the best moments were when the entire cast was onstage.”
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