Sweeney Todd, Headgate Theatre, Colchester. Until Saturday, November 21. 01206 366000.

THIS masterpiece by the modern-day master of musicals, Stephen Sondheim, is a monster of a show.

It’s the singer’s version of climbing the north face of the Eiger.

Which is why Andrew Hodgson’s Platform Musicals and Plays production at the Headgate is a very impressive piece of work indeed.

It’s a tough ask, even with the accomplished cast he has at his disposal, to take them into the deep dark depths of Victorian London where the infamous demon barber of Fleet Street of the title, along with his culinary partner in crime Mrs Lovett, ply their terrible trade.

It’s even tougher with Sondheim’s brilliant but notoriously difficult score.

Fortunately Andrew’s leads, Graham Bowden as Todd and Sally Fisher as Lovett, are simply stunning.

Graham’s tortured soul coupled with Sally’s hilarious, almost musical hall, turn makes a brilliant combination which provides the powerhouse foundation for the show.

Surrounding them is a glorious ensemble of very familiar faces as well as some lovely new faces.

It was very pleasing to see some of the Mad Hatter group of young performers step over into Platform’s world, especially Barney Fritz who was tremendous as the plucky but unlucky Tobias and Jenny Collins, the very epitome of a songbird trapped in her cage, poignantly beautiful, with a gorgeous voice to match.

Also a brief mention to Adam Duarte-Dias, a very fine local actor, who properly stepped up to the musical mark as Anthony.

Stylish, but not so much to undermine the music, lovely touches included a striking, but simple solution, to getting rid of the ever mounting body count, and a very effective red spot behind one of the exits, doubling up as Mrs Lovett’s baking oven.

So visually and musically this is definitely a demon of a show worth catching.

NEIL D’ARCY-JONES