Tomorrow La Scala! (2002)

Director:

Francesca Joseph

Writers:

Paul Abbott (writer)
Francesca Joseph (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

An opera company puts on a production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in a maximum security prison. |

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jessica Hynes	...	Victoria (as Jessica Stevenson)
Samantha Spiro	...	Jayney (Mrs. Lovett)
Shaun Dingwall	...	Kevin
Kulvinder Ghir	...	Rajiv
Karl Johnson	...	Sydney
Dudley Sutton	...	Dennis
Mel Raido	...	Jordan
Daniel Evans	...	Jonny Atkins
Ian Burfield	...	Walter
Lucy Bates	...	Lily (Joanna)
Bruce Byron	...	Thomas
Kevin Dignam	...	Mikey
Helene Kvale	...	The Journalist
Brenda Longman	...	Julia (Beggar Woman)
Phelim McDermott	...	Cliff

Also Known As:

Sweeney (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

France:108 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The film was critically successful at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002, but Stephen Sondheim personally stopped the film from being screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival, reportedly because he objected to his music being used. The film was subsequently never released in cinemas.

The fuller Monty - with clothes on!

Francesca Joseph's made-for-TV movie is a small masterpiece of observation, at once very funny and very moving. A small opera company arrives at a maximum security prison with the intention of staging Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" with a chorus of lifers. In the course of the auditions both the company and the prisoners learn, not only to live with each other, but also to trust and respect and finally like each other.

Coming from the same school as "The Full Monty" this is an altogether more perceptive look at the school of hard knocks we know as life, and is better written, directed and acted. The entire cast perform beautifully, moving seamlessly from broad farce to near tragedy sometimes within the same scene and while it is invidious to single anyone out I feel I must mention Jessica Stephenson (snooty, pretentious director who finally melts), Samantha Spiro (an over-sexed Mrs Lovett), Shaun Digwall (outwardly hard-as-nails, inwardly heart-of-gold jailer) and the great Karl Johnson (hard-bitten old timer).

Made by BBC films, this cries out for a cinema release where it's small but undeniably considerable virtues would surely have put it in the running for an Oscar. For now, let us be grateful it has finally been screened and here's hoping for an early release on DVD. Absolutely unmissible.