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Sex, violence and caviar: Men's Business @finborough

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Life's a dog in Men's Business. It's a nasty, cruel life where amongst the banality of everything, love, or something resembling a bit of it, exists out of a butcher's shop. And in between feeding dogs or chopping up offcuts of meat to sell as pet food, there's always time for sex and violence. The play gets into these dark and disturbing themes, inviting the audience to immerse themselves in this claustrophobic world. It's not a pleasant night at the theatre. Still, the intensity of the piece in the confined space of the Finborough Theatre and the exploration of these ideas make for an engrossing experience.   This is a new translation by Simon Stephens of Franz Xaver Kroetz's work. Initially published in 1972 and would later be expanded in the piece Through The Leaves, the action is set in a butcher's shop.  We're introduced to Charlie (Lauren Farrell), who inherited the shop from her father. Family don't seem to be around anymore. All she has...

Let the blood run free musical: Sweeney Todd



Stephen Sondheim's Grand Guignol musical-opera Sweeney Todd is back in the West End. This time it is with the versatile (and somewhat unrecognisable) Michael Ball in the title role and Imelda Staunton as Mrs Lovett, his partner in crime. The tale has been told in many forms, and the last time it was on the West End was in John Doyle's wonderfully claustrophobic production where the cast doubled as the orchestra. This time around, this Chichester Festival transfer provides a slightly more traditional staging of the production with a grand set and elaborate set pieces. Of course, it is still probably Victorian London as the story does not make sense in any other period, but you could be forgiven with the odd car, costuming and set decoration that it could also be the 1930s...


Anachronisms aside, what makes this show a thrill is the interpretation Imelda Staunton gives as Mrs Lovett, the woman who owns the pie shop below Sweeney Todd's barbershop. If you ever wondered what Vera Drake the musical could be like you get a sense of it here. She gives the material a fresh perspective with a combination of a matter of fact EastEnder-ness and brilliant comic timing. Also worthy of a mention is James McConville in the role of the boy Tobias who manages not only to sing very nicely but also pull off some difficult crowd scenes while singing Sondheim's notoriously elaborate music...

The cast has a great time, and by the end of it, many in the audience were on their feet applauding. Mind you, there was someone behind me who was a bit squeamish about blood... I wondered if they thought they were going to Matilda... It's now playing at the Adelphi Theatre on The Strand. Sweeney Todd tickets available at the usual outlets, and the Dress Circle seats are excellent for taking it all in... And if you're too squeamish it's far back enough so you can think it is all just tomato sauce...

Boo musings with @johnnyfoxlondon follow...

listen to ‘Serial boo: Sweeney Todd’ on Audioboo

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