A BLOOD soaked tale of murderous revenge proved a ferocious triumph for students at a Chester school.

Performing arts school The Hammond ambitiously tackled the Sondheim musical 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street', complete with complicated props and set to give its audience all the gore it could wish for from this macabre production.

The impressive cast also injected a healthy dose of black humour into their performance, which they attacked with an infectious relish.

Dominic Hughes took on the lead role of the razor-brandishing barber from hell, Sweeny Todd, who wants revenge for being wrongly accused and deported by Judge Turpin, who wanted Sweeney's wife for himself.

From the start Hughes exuded pent up rage, obsession and a sinister brooding power with a terrifying intensity through his every move and expression, let alone the strength of his vocal.

Molly Longworth, as the ever-so-practical baker Mrs Lovett, was the perfect counterpoint, bringing a refreshing, down-to-earth humour to the role to temper the intensity and make the bloody horror watchable.

The expression on her face as she carried buckets of severed limbs through to the bake house as part of her inventive use of Sweeney's victims still makes me chuckle.

The duo were a joy to watch and hear as they cooked up their unsavoury scheme and Longworth's depiction of Mrs Lovett's love for Sweeny and fondness for the young urchin Tobias Rag were genuinely touching.

Tobias was played by Charlie Dixon, who was all about energy, showmanship and innocence, a real loveable rogue.

For me, Dixon made Tobias into the true tragedy of the piece through his portrayal of the character's eagerness to be a part of a family in the 'Not While I'm Around' duet with Longworth, his naive excitement at being allowed into the bake house and his horror and madness after discovering the chief ingredient of the pies.

Judge Turpin, played by Connor Williams, and Beadle Bamford, played by Cameron Chalmers, were a great sinister double act, the scene in which they abduct and abuse Sweeney's wife Lucy, played by the impressively versatile Jessical Hole, was extremely disturbing.

Other performances to mention are Chloe Kempster-Down and Ben Cameron who played lovestruck couple Johanna and Anthony with a great sweetness and beautiful duets.

The Hammond's cast is too numerous to mention but you could tell that each and every one gave 100 per cent.

It is a testament to the quality of every aspect of the production that I completely forgot I was watching a cast of students.

It was extremely confident and professional, a joy to watch.