EVERYONE has heard of the Sweeney Todd, the daemon barber of Fleet Street, but could we have our very own daemon barber of High Street, Northwich?

Brent Nile, of Burdett’s barber shop, has been giving traditional shaving lessons to members of Knutsford Musical Theatre Company (KMTC).

KMTC will be performing their thrilling re-imagining of Sweeney Todd at Northwich Memorial Court in May, where their new-found skills should help them bring this dark, witty tale of love, obsession, and murder to life.

Brent taught members of the cast traditional wet shaving techniques using a straight edge razor, including how to hold the blade properly, the preparation of tools and all the finer details to make the actors look believable on stage.

Northwich Guardian: Joel Merry (left) who plays Sweeney Todd, and barber Brent Nile of Burdett's barber shop, High StreetJoel Merry (left) who plays Sweeney Todd, and barber Brent Nile of Burdett's barber shop, High Street (Image: Moorhouse Digital Marketing)

Joel Merry, who plays Sweeney Todd, says: “Sweeney is a very accomplished barber, and learning all these finite details from someone so experienced will help me make this more thrilling and believable for the audience.”

Sweeney Todd tells the story of a Victorian barber who returns home to London after fifteen years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who wrongly imprisoned him. 

With the help of a devious pie shop owner, Mrs Lovett, Sweeney plots to kill the judge and other customers in the barber’s chair.

Barber, Brent Nile, said: “It’s great to have theatre productions of this quality in Northwich.

“I am a big Sweeney Todd fan, so I’m looking forward to seeing how KMTC deliver this thrilling musical right on our doorstep.”

Sweeney Todd runs from Wednesday, May 17, to Saturday, May 20, at Northwich Memorial Court.

There will also be a signed performance for the deaf community on Thursday, May 18.

Tickets are on sale here: https://kmtc.org.uk