Sweeney Todd in Concert
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Movie Reviews of Sweeney Todd in Concert
Movie Review: A "Sweeney Todd" with more of a sense of gravity than before
Summary: 5 Stars
I only caught the end of "Sweeney Todd in Concert" when it appeared on the local PBS station, so I was gratified to see that the production is available for mass consumption. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" remains one of my favorite Broadway shows (I really consider it an opera, but Stephen Sondheim says if you insist on having a label call it an operetta with a strong black comedy element, so I will just avoid using any word beginning with "o" and avoid the debate). I saw the story on "60 Minutes" about the production and picked up the record album and played it endlessly once it was available. I saw a road show production starring June Havoc, better known as "Baby June," the older sister of Gypsy Rose Lee; we are talking a professional vaudevillian comedienne who sang everything about an octave lower than it was written. But after watching the tour-de-force performance of "Epiphany" I was down in the lobby at intermission buying tickets for the next night. When the 1982 road show with George Hearn and Angela Landsbury was shown on television I taped it, and now we have this concert performance.The main attraction for me is that both the orchestra and chorus are bigger and better. The difference this makes in our enjoyment of the show is clear as soon as the company launches into the "Prologue." As for the performers I have to admit that I did not know that the title role was originally supposed to have been played by Bryn Terfel, so I was not aware that the majority of principle singers were trained more in opera than musical theater. After all, the recognizable names are those of a pair of Broadway veterans, George Hearn and Patti Lupone, plus a television dramedy star, Neil Patrick Howser, er, I mean Harris. Hearn, of course, knows the part of Sweeney Todd well, and Lupone puts her own stamp on Mrs. Lovett, making the pie shop owner's romantic feelings for the barber more believable. Director Lonny Price calls Harris the definitive Tobias and I would not be inclined to argue the point.
Again, there is more of a sense of realism to the production, and less of the theater of the macabre, and I think this is due to the casting choices rather than to the stripped down performance of the show where there are no sets, but costumes and props. I think that the subtle differences in Hearn's performance is as much a reaction to the cast he is singing with as much as his take on the role two decades later. I can go through the cast of singers and point to the marked differences between these voices and those of the original Broadway cast and find a much greater sense of gravity, from Timothy Nolen as Judge Turpin and Davis Gaines as Anthony Hope to Lisa Vroman as Johanna and Stanford Olsen as Pirelli. This production of "Sweeney Todd" unveils new depths to the story. There seems an invaluable less here and it certainly suggests that having "opera" singers do other pieces of a similar type would bear similar fruit. I know this was done before with "West Side Story" and other Rodgers & Hammerstein shows, but it seems that maybe the music of Sondheim or Andrew Lloyd Webber might be better suited to such attempts than the American musical theater of the 1950s.
As with any taped "stage" performance, one of the advantages is that the camera can get us close enough to see what the expressions on the faces of the characters. Yes, it is somewhat disconcerting to see the orchestra behind the characters, but you forget them after a while. After all, it is singing that you want to hear. That is why it must be added that the only reason to buy "Sweeney Todd in Concert" on VHS instead of DVD is that you do not have a DVD player. However, since this is the 21st century, that should not be a problem. The whole point of a concert is the SOUND and that plays to the strength of the DVD (plus you have three options on the sound to pick the one that best suits your system requirements.
Movie Review: Absolutely Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
This recording was my first exposure to the masterpiece that is "Sweeney Todd," and I was absolutely blown away. First off, you have that score, that glorious Sondheim score. Almost entirely sung through, "Sweeney" is one of the few musicals where I wouldn't remove a single song, and the operatic voices in this concert coupled with the huge orchestra highlight Sondheim's brilliance perfectly. The group numbers are especially effective, and the six-part harmony in the Act II opener "God, That's Good" will make your eyes bug out.And the actors!!! They are all amazingly talented, have divine voices, and have an incredible grasp on the complex characters. Twenty years after replacing Len Cariou on Broadway, George Hearn proves he still has what it takes to make an amazing Sweeney. If anything, the added years have made his performance even stronger than it was on the '82 video recording, and his voice hasn't weakened one bit.
Another real find is Neil Patrick Harris (who knew the ex-Dougie Houser was a tenor?), who earned Sondheim's seal of approval as "the definitive Tobias." Watching this performance will prove the platitude is not wasted. Harris is instantly charming from the moment he takes stage, and the Act II ballad "Not While I'm Around" will break your heart. He sings it with such emotion and a crystal-clear tenor voice that your heart will immediately go out to him, and the song is one of the highlights of this uniformly excellent DVD.
However, for me "Sweeney Todd" has and will always be about Mrs. Lovett, and Patti LuPone's performance delivers in spades. Now, don't get me wrong, Angela Lansbury's performance in the original cast is irreplaceable, but LuPone comes in a very close second. The vocal pyrotechnics she brings to the role outshine almost all of the cast, and she belts out her songs with a feiry gutso that is utterly captivating. She knocks her two big solos ("The Worst Pies in London" and "By the Sea") out of the park, and along with Hearn is so utterly charming and entertaining you can't help but rooting for the murdering, revenge-seeking duo. Granted, Mrs. LuPone lacks a bit of the subtlety Lansbury brought to the role, but at the same time Mrs. Lovett is so much larger than life it hardly matters.
To make a long story short, BUY THIS DISC. Overall, this is my preferred recording of Sondheim's operatic masterpiece, although the '82 version is also essential due the presence of Angela Lansbury. Musical theatre fans better start saving, because now there are two essential versions of "Sweeney" to own.
Movie Review: The Sweeney Todd
Summary: 5 Stars
Watching this DVD of "Sweeney Todd In Concert" is an overwhelming experience.Of all the Stephen Sondheim musicals, this is my No. 2 favorite; the No. 1 is "Passion". While the two musicals tell totally different stories, they both are enriched with the same musical elements of Stephen Sondheim's music, which is passion and authenticity. "Sweeney Todd" is a dark and haunted story, it deals with demon and evil side of human being, and at the same time it entertains, needless to say that all of these are delivered so well by the music scores, as well as the lyrics - another part of the Sondheim's talent, for which the remarkableness hasn't been reached by any other musical writers, yet.
This is the only version of "Sweeney Todd" so far I've watched or listened. While I don't have any reference to compare with in terms of cast performance, I am glad that I can truly enjoy this cast and appreciate every effort of every cast member that has turned this operatic musical into a musical sensation. George Hearn, besides an excellent vocal job, fleshes out the complicities of the demon barber Sweeney Todd quite vividly by adding traces of human emotions into the character. Patti LuPone, in her unique and bit-of-rough voice, has done a very good job in depicting Mrs. Lovett. Her performance is outstanding and very entertaining. Neil Patrick Harris is simply wonderful. He is an actor whom you'd feel very comfortable to watch. Everything from him seems so natural. Of all the roles, one character gives me the real chill and that is Judge Turpine, played by Timothy Nolen. In his extraordinary low baritone, crooning or shouting, Nolen vests this twisted character with an immense commanding power, something intangible but truly scary. Lisa Vroman sings beautifully as Johanna, the power of her voice could amaze you when she bursts out in full voice. Comparing to the depth of other characters, Anthony is relatively shallow, and it's a pity that its performer David Gaines doesn't help much in strengthening the role, but he does give a great rendition of "Johanna".
One last comment I'd like to say is the staging of this show. With a full orchestra on the stage and cast members around and among, it brilliantly turns the musical into a concert without losing much of the theatrics and dynamics. The set is simple, the color is mainly black, the prop is almost non-existent, and yet, what we've sensed is the luster like a black marble and the intensity that feels like one, too.
Movie Review: Kabuki Sweeney
Summary: 5 Stars
Having just seen the Kennedy Center's production of Sweeney and having all the other productions that have been captured on CD, DVD or VHS, You might say that I am a bit of a fanatic on Sweeney. This production is second only to the Brian Stokes Mitchell Sweeney at the Kennedy Center. I certainly hope that the Kennedy Center has the foresight to either do a cast CD or DVD of this production so more folk can experience it. Its billed as a concert but it really captures a full production feeling thru its imaginative staging. The Orchestrations are lush and keep the feel from smaller stage adaptations. George Hearn is a superb Sweeney. In fact he is very clost to Brain Stokes Mitchell as my favorite Sweeney. His sweeney is troubled, has been wronged yet can be a homebody in By the Sea. Stokes Mitchell's Sweeney is a twisted soul from the outset, there is no humanity there at all but a total possession. You can see the man Sweeney would have been in Hearn's performance while Stokes Mitchell's performance suggests that Todd's original obsession with his wife must have had a creepy side to it too. Patty Lupone has some cracking and dryness to her voice and also has a little trouble keeping her accents straight, but she has her own take on Mrs. Lovett. Again, Christine Baranski is my favorite but I would put this Patty Lupons performance far above her performance in the NY Phil version or Angela Lansbury's ont he original cast CD.
Where this Sweeney shines is in the supporting parts. Davis Gaines is superb as Anthony and especially Timothy Nolen excels as Judge Turpin. Nolen captures the creepy character perfectly and his voice is wonderful. Neil Patrick Harris is fine as Toby though Mark Price outdid him at the Kennedy Center.
The best part of the San Francisco performance is the staging. The orchestra is scattered on the stage. The singers move around and thru them and have a few props given to them by Kabuki-like prop masters. This staging blurs the line between a full production and a concert performance. The only things that were not in use in this perfomance prop wise was the tables and chairs and set of Mrs. L's pie shop. Otherwise every scene was well defined. In my mind, this was a full production of the piece.
Last, the sound quality is superb for a live performance with room shaking bass and crisp brass. All in all a superb DVD!
Movie Review: Fantastic edition, better than the '82 version
Summary: 5 Stars
Sweeney Todd is a fantastic musical and this DVD truly lives up to the quality of the show itself. Bear with me as this is probably more of a comparison to the 1982 video than many would like. To begin, of the two, the acting and singing in the Concert is superior. Granted Angela Lansbury isn't to be topped, however LuPone's Lovett is a nicely different interpretation offering more sensuality to the role. I had the good fortune of listening to the New York Philharmonic recording first, and LuPone was extremely grating on that recording, but by the time the Concert was performed in San Fransisco, she toned down a little, providing a much better performance. Overall, I enjoy LuPone's performance on the DVD. She is a true comediene--perhaps my favorite moment is right after Sweeney's Epiphany, a great transition into the lighter feel of A Little Priest. George Hearn is still fantastic after 20 years, there's nothing else to be said. Lisa Vroman is also good as Johanna. A lot of people have complaints, but I seem to have forgotten her lackluster acting, because I tend to be pretty hypercritical. In fact, my main memory from the DVD is the nuance in Vroman's singing during "Green Finch..." which i don't hear in the original cast, but now can't imagine an actress not picking up on it--it concerns the lines "Are you crowing, Are you screaming?". Also, she is 27 times better than the girl on the 1982 tour with Hearn and Lansbury. Even if you don't like Vroman, I can't see how you would like the other girl better. Davis Gaines is great, even if he looks pretty old to be Anthony. Nolan makes a great Judge Thurpin and is perfectly disconcerting. Also, the costume concept is great, and the use of platforms surrounding the orchestra is a fantastic idea. As many others have observed, this concert experience far surpasses the Les Mis 10th Anniversary concert. And the only ways that the 82 production is preferable are because it has Lansbury and a massive set. Otherwise, even if you could get the 82 production on DVD, I would suggest this DVD as a first buy. And since the '82 version isn't available, what are you waiting for? buy it immediately!