‘Sweeney Todd’ Spectacular

The Performing Arts are thriving at St John’s School, and the department continues to be an energetic, creative, and inclusive hub that brings together hundreds of performers across all year groups. The biennial St John’s musical is always an exciting event, and we were delighted to watch three powerhouse performances of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (School Edition) at The Leatherhead Theatre on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 March.

The cast of over 40 pupils tackled the gargantuan piece with aplomb and we were overjoyed to be able to invite an audience to our major musical once more, complete with a professional orchestra playing alongside some of our pupils in the pit, and a professional stage and set supported by the fantastic professional crew at the theatre.

A gripping and darkly comedic musical thriller, Sweeney Todd provided the perfect platform for our talented pupils and musical theatre at St John’s to shine. Audience members were blown away by the slick professionalism and commitment of the cast, and they were treated to over two hours of laughs, shocks, and tears. In the title role, Will gave a performance of exceptional emotional depth being both scary and sensitive and Daisy in the role of Mrs Lovett, his partner in crime, gave a tour-de-force performance with impeccable comic timing and an assurance on stage way beyond that of a school production.

The whole cast and backstage crew were invested in the musical with incredible energy and heart, and each show was an astonishing performance of theatre fully supported from the crew at The Leatherhead Theatre with whom the School has a strong relationship. Mr Goodwin conducted the pit orchestra (a mixture of professionals and pupils) with great skill, swagger, and dramatic drive.