“As a concept, it holds together remarkably well…All these clashing sentiments burn bright in an accomplished ensemble combining London holdovers with newcomers…The urgency and immediacy of its storytelling make it a terrific introduction to a glittering musical by a composer at the peak of his powers, and also an invigorating new spin for audiences who know and love this brilliantly conceived Victorian nightmare.”
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“The Tooting Arts Club’s production has infused the murder-filled Stephen Sondheim show with even more infectious and thrilling energy than typical…Secomb’s Todd is perfectly menacing…Sondheim’s music and lyrics fit beautifully into the small space…Ultimately, 'Sweeney Todd' is a tricky show. Sure, it’s about a dark, depraved, and murderous man…But it’s also meant to be a comedy…The Tooting Arts Club nails it. Theatergoers should count on having a bloody good time.”
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"The pie shop concept is cute at first, but 'Sweeney' is a heavily-plotted drama that involves many different locations. This production is awkwardly staged...At its best, 'Sweeney' can be terrifying, mesmerizing and sweeping, but this production sacrifices the storytelling and score for the sake of a gimmick. The cast is decent but not noteworthy."
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"It's a stripped-down production featuring a lean and very mean company of performers that sing their guts out, and they kill it!...The intimate space lets us hear Sondheim's gloriously complex score loud and clear, and it gives us new appreciation for his searing lyrics. And when Sweeney starts slashing throats and his accomplice Mrs. Lovett cooks up the corpses into meat pies, it's especially ghoulish as the audience is thrust right into the middle of the action."
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“A thrillingly immersive revival, which takes an already great musical and turns it into a heart-pounding visceral experience…Secomb combines the efficient physicality of a remorseless killer with a truly lovely singing voice…Director Bill Buckhurst excels at drawing out suspense and tension in his staging…Tooting Arts Club's production is full of such memorable surprises. It pulls us into the heart of the story like no other musical playing in New York right now.”
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"Carmello is a revelation as Mrs. Lovett, unlocking the comic potential in one terrifyingly determined character...Lewis compensates with a velvety baritone that is able to express all the musical nuances in the score, even when there is nothing nuanced about his acting...Buckhurst's inventive staging makes us believe that any story can be told in any space with enough imagination."
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"A chance to see two top-shelf singer/actors, Norm Lewis and Carolee Carmello, transform a production that opened as an amusing Grand Guignol melodrama into a deeply moving and gorgeously sung evening of thrilling musical theatre...Lewis gives full value to Sondheim's music...His Sweeney Todd isn't a madman, but rather an emotionally wounded human driven to madness...Carmello draws you in with her character's absurd self-effacing humor and breaks your heart."
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"In this environment, and with such a gifted company, the musical's rattling terrors and jet-black comedy are felt with a power that, for me, recalls the electrifying effect of the original, still one of the top five experiences I've had in four decades of theatregoing...Everything in Buckhurst's production is infused with imagination...Buckhurst makes judicious use of audience interaction without ever undermining the show's savage viewpoint, its cruel and sinister jokes."
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