Demon barber

Today I was down in London for work. Both the journey and the meeting were pain free, so that was ideal.

In the evening I met B for some dinner and chat followed by a West End show - Sweeney Todd. This wasn't your usual musical with cheery music and a happy ending. It was extremely dark.

The main characters were played by Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton.

Imelda Staunton was very funny, a good fit for the role. Juxtaposing the humour and the general murderyness and cannibalism made for a very creepy performance.

I was looking forward to seeing Michael Ball as clearly he is a legend, and last time I'd seen him he was playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray so I thought he was a good sport. This role was pretty much the opposite of Edna. I'd say he is known for being sorta cheesy and fluffy like a big teddy bear - but in this role he was completely different to usual. I genuinely would not have recognised him. He looked like a cross between Hitler and David Brent. His performance was magnificent, he totally owned the show. There was one part where he was standing completely silent towards the rear of the stage with his back to the audience, and yet it was still him you were looking at. What a guy. Brilliant.