Sweeney Todd

[+ Autumnal]

I went to Sweeney Todd this weekend before opening night. It was amazing - the choreography, lighting, music, singing, really everything! I am a little hard of hearing so I sometimes have trouble with lyrics and some dialogue which I am used to, so I was a little surprised and relieved when I read Jesse Green's rave review in the NYTimes where he wrote that Annaleigh Ashford (Mrs Lovett) was, "often too hard to hear. (Both she and Jordan Fisher, beamish as the sailor who falls in love with Johanna, seem to be under-amplified.)" I imagine they will tweak that. I highly recommend seeing this show if you can!

[MscleLovr]

For anyone who, like me, wondered about this production 

Sweeney Todd Broadway Tickets | The Official NY Theatre Guide

WWW.NEWYORKTHEATREGUIDE.COM

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Get tickets to Sweeney Todd on Broadway from the official New York Theatre Guide. See Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford in this bloody thrilling...

 

[handiacefailure]

I was in NYC a couple weeks ago and wanted to see it but tickets were absurd online and not available at tKTS and there was too long of a line at the box office so I passed.   I love Josh's music but wasn't that impressed with his acting in the Great Comet of 1812, but it did get nominated for a Tony IIRC.

I was lucky enough to see it about ten years ago with Patti Lupone.   I enjoyed that production because all the actors were also in the orchestra when they weren't performing and Patti played the Tuba in the scenes she wasn't performing.   

 

I really hated the movie version but I think it was because I had recently seen it on Broadway with Patti and the actress in the movie wasn't that good

[foxy]

I saw the production today and thought it was very good. Josh’s acting has improved and as usual sings very well. Annaleigh Ashford was hysterically funny. And also sings quite well. 
In 1979 I saw the original production with Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou. Somehow I heard they were signing copies of the cast album. I mentioned it to some friends who asked me to pick up a copy for them. On the day of signing I approached  the dais with six copies of the album. So I had a few minutes with each star. Cariou was quite pleasant. When I got to Lansbury she started signing the albums never looking up. So I said “Miss Lansbury I saw the show the other night and I thought your performance was brilliant”. Still not looking up she said “yes”. I was glad she agreed with me. 

[handiacefailure]

Was able to get reasonably priced tickets Saturday when I was in NYC and saw it.   I really enjoyed it.   Josh was perfect for the part.

 

[Bokomaru]

On 4/8/2023 at 1:18 PM, handiacefailure said:

I was in NYC a couple weeks ago and wanted to see it but tickets were absurd online and not available at tKTS and there was too long of a line at the box office so I passed.   I love Josh's music but wasn't that impressed with his acting in the Great Comet of 1812, but it did get nominated for a Tony IIRC.

I was lucky enough to see it about ten years ago with Patti Lupone.   I enjoyed that production because all the actors were also in the orchestra when they weren't performing and Patti played the Tuba in the scenes she wasn't performing.   

 

I really hated the movie version but I think it was because I had recently seen it on Broadway with Patti and the actress in the movie wasn't that good

I didn’t realize that Patti played the tuba in Sweeney. They did a similar thing for the revival of Company (back around the same time, not the most recent revival) and there was an actress playing the tuba as well. 

Here’s a fun fact. Multiple actors needed tuba lessons because of this (to audition) and guess who they went to? Dirk Kaber the porn star. Yes, he was a tuba tutor before he was a porn star.

[EZEtoGRU]

I saw this production over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Groban and Ashford were both excellent.  As someone mentioned above, I also had a hard time hearing Ashford at different times during the show...so that continues to be an issue. 

As an aside, I'm getting really tired of the hootin' and hollerin' of Broadway audiences these days.  It's really putting me off going to shows in NY to be honest.    

[TruHart1]

Interesting news:

Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster to Join Broadway's Sweeney Todd

PLAYBILL.COM

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The pair will begin performances as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett in 2024.

Tveit’s voice is so different than Groban’s. I wonder how he’ll interpret the BIG baritone moments. It should be fascinating to see. Sutton Foster should be good. I’m not going to be in NYC while this is playing but I’ll be watching for the reviews!

TruHart1 ❤️

[TruHart1]

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

On 12/5/2023 at 4:33 PM, EZEtoGRU said:

As an aside, I'm getting really tired of the hootin' and hollerin' of Broadway audiences these days.  It's really putting me off going to shows in NY to be honest.    

With this revival, it's always been a problem.  Groban's fans have little to no theatre etiquette.  They think it's a concert.

I've seen this revival twice.  The audiences use every entrance and big note to make it about themselves.  Annoying as fuck.

[EZEtoGRU]

13 hours ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

With this revival, it's always been a problem.  Groban's fans have little to no theatre etiquette.  They think it's a concert.

I've seen this revival twice.  The audiences use every entrance and big note to make it about themselves.  Annoying as fuck.

Yes...but it's not just a phenomenon with Sweeney Todd.  Same crap happened when I saw the last production of Company on B'way.  Granted, it was within a week of the show closing with Patti LuPone.  I guess the LuPone fans were out in force and as boisterous as the Groban fans.  Personally, I think this has come to be considered acceptable behavior at Broadway Musicals.  A real shame.