Michael Ball as Sweeney and Imelda Staunton as Lovett (Photo by Catherine Ashmore)

 

Michael Ball, star of the Chichester Festival Sweeney Todd which is to transfer to the Adelphi Theatre in March 2012, recently answered some questions exclusively for The Sondheim Society.

Stephen Sondheim Society: What will the transfer do for Sondheim’s profile in this country, and musical theatre in general?

Michael Ball: I think Stephen has a lot of fans in this country and, since Sweeney Todd hasn’t been performed with a full cast and orchestra in nearly twenty years (1993 with Alun Armstrong and Julia McKenzie), I hope the fans who didn’t get chance to see us in Chichester will come to the Adelphi. The West End has some wonderful musical theatre productions on at the moment and you can see from the audience figures that people love going to see them.

SSS:  Will there be any changes to the production when it hits the West End?

MB: The Adelphi is a different shape from the Chichester Festival Theatre so there will be a few minor adjustments but essentially all the ingredients will be intact.

SSS: What’s your view of Sweeney’s character? Does he have any redeeming features, or is he pure evil?

MB: No I don’t think he’s pure evil. He’s a tragic character driven by revenge and grief and as he slowly discovers the truth of what happened to his beloved wife and daughter, he becomes more and more enraged until his lust for revenge turns into murder. He’s plunged into madness when his attempt to extract revenge on the judge is foiled and that’s when he becomes a serial killer.

SSS: Were you influenced by any of the previous famous Sweeneys, e.g. Len Cariou, George Hearn, even Johnny Depp? How did your very dark characterisation come about?

MB: It’s important for any actor when creating a new character to find his motivations and choices in the rehearsal room and not to arrive with too many preconceived ideas. Of course I’m aware that other people have played the character with varying degrees of success but for me it’s about what’s on the page and what my fellow actors are giving to me onstage that defines who my Sweeney is.

SSS:  Musically, what are the especial challenges for an actor singing the part of Sweeney?

MB: I’m one of Stephen Sondheim’s biggest fans – I love his music which is complicated and wonderful and his lyrics which are quite brilliant. His songs are so clever, so witty and sometimes such tongue twisters – especially ‘A Little Priest’ – that you work hard to make sure every single syllable is clear. In performing Sweeney I have found a new depth to my own voice; I have a natural high baritone but having given up smoking a few years ago I’ve been able to develop a lower register which is required for the Sweeney score.

SSS: What do you find more challenging – the acting or the singing?

MB: Both! I believe you need practice, discipline and energy for both especially when you’re acting and singing at the same time. We do daily warm-ups at the theatre – physical warm-ups and vocal warm-ups and I make sure I have a good supply of throat sweets in the dressing room!

SSS: Some people found the updating of the setting of the drama to 1930s industrial London an interesting and visually exciting directorial decision but possibly a bit anachronistic in parts. What were the reasons for projecting it forward by 100 years?

MB: I think you’ll have to ask director Jonathan Kent and designer Anthony Ward for the definitive answer but I do know it helps lay the ghost of previous productions and stops it being a twisted bit of Victoriana; I think it gives it a darkness and realism that modern audiences can relate to.

SSS: Some of your regular fans were reportedly surprised by how you looked during the Chichester run. How did you feel about that?

MB: As an actor, it was a great compliment! I really wanted to change myself physically – with my curly hair and dimples I’m not the obvious Sweeney Todd type and it was important to me to give Sweeney a very defined look, a sharpness and an edge. I even toyed with the idea of shaving my head at one stage but decided that was too extreme. So I grew a goatee beard and I wear a dark, straight hairpiece that Sweeney can flick to hide his face.

SSS: I guess no Sweeney could ask for a better Mrs Lovett than Imelda Staunton. Could you share any particularly interesting or amusing stories about what it was like to work with her?

MB: For her height Imelda is one of the most talented actresses pound for pound in her price range!!! Haha!! She’s also the funniest woman I’ve ever worked with and during the early rehearsals it was sometimes very hard to keep a straight face. She completely inhabits the role of Mrs Lovett as I knew she would. She came onto my radio show about three years ago (when I was doing ‘Hairspray’) and in between records I asked her if she fancied playing Mrs Lovett – luckily she said “alright then!” I don’t know what I’d have done if she’d said no!

SSS: Which song or songs did you especially enjoy performing during the run?

MB: Imelda and I particularly enjoy performing ‘A Little Priest’ – it’s so inspired and clever it’s virtually beyond brilliant, the lyrics, the meter, the pictures it conjures up – and it’s a song that keeps you entirely on your toes – even though Sweeney’s sitting down at the beginning of that scene – because it’s intricate and clever and the timing is absolutely crucial. It’s also extremely funny and audiences love it.

SSS:  Sondheim has written that Sweeney Todd is “a movie for the stage”. Is that true of the Chichester production?

MB: Stephen is a big fan of melodramas and suspense movies and I can absolutely see what he means because everything about Sweeney Todd is intense – the music, the story, the atmosphere, the set, the performances, the entire look of the production. The Chichester production is very true to that vision.

SSS:  I understand that Sondheim was very impressed with the production. Did you get a chance to talk with him about it while he was over here? Did he have any input earlier on in the rehearsal process?

MB: It was just fantastic that he was able to come over to see us in Chichester – it had only been a few months since Imelda and I had co-hosted the Oliviers when Stephen was presented with a special lifetime achievement award by Angela Lansbury – so it was wonderful to see him again. He had such wonderful encouraging words and a few little ideas that no doubt he will be imparting to us during the rehearsal period for the transfer to the West End. I do know he’s becoming fully involved in the transfer.

SSS: Do you know whether there will be a cast recording or DVD of this production?

MB: I hope so!

SSS: Will you be doing a triple-crown run? Chichester, London and Broadway?

MB: I hope so!

SSS: Do you have your eye on any other Sondheim roles, post-Sweeney?

MB: I think it’s important to take what I’ve learned from playing Edna in Hairspray and Sweeney in Sweeney Todd…so…watch out Mama Rose! 

SSS: Very many thanks, Michael, for answering the questions, and I’m sure everyone in The Stephen Sondheim Society will be wishing you all the best for a successful West End run.