Sweeney Todd PBS- Page 7

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 2:17am

I agree with those who have pointed out that the performances, especially Thompson's, were pitched for the live performance, not for television, and may have seemed overwrought. I thought she was terrific, getting all of the humor and pathos out of the character and her voice was absolutely fine for it. I do think it's the most difficult role because of the broadness inherent in the comic music hall nature of the material coupled with the vulnerability called for. I like the contrast between Lovett's less than legit voice and Sweeney's bombastic, opera-like voice. When someone like the magnificent Judy Kaye sings the role, something is lost in the relationship for me. And having the traditionally legit voices called for in Anthony and Johanna make it dramatically jarring for Lovett to also have that style of voice. IMHO of course.

[blaxx]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 3:33am

IMHO, Thompson looked like she was a first reading and ready to find a character somewhere.

The Toby seemed out of a community theater.

Borle playing the gay (but-I'm-not-gay) character.

Mackey still has that deer in the headlights face.

I thought it was hard to do a "meh" Sweeney. This was pretty meh, very few parts were chilling, most were just correct.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 6:37am

"Surely they knew they were being recorded for television, and they should have done something to modulate their performances accordingly, and I'd expect a director with any sense to have seen to it." I think the director and actors made the right choice not to modulate their performances so as to leave 3000 people who paid to see them missing what - even if this had been taped in one performance, which it apparently was not - audiences at other performances had seen, and instead having faith that the television audience would understand they were watching a taped stage performance, and one of a non-naturalstic take on a non-naturalistic musical, which if indeed there even is such a thing, Sweeney Todd certainly isn't) which was pretty obvious.

Updated On: 9/28/14 at 06:37 AM

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 7:10am

IMHO...this was a SWEENEY that didn't have the best voices in most of the roles other than SWEENEY himself of course...and was it just me or did anyone else think the pacing of the music seemed slow?...in my mind the SWEENEY concert version with LU PONE and HEARN is still the best concert-staged version...

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 8:22am

Thompson may well have been playing to the back wall, but I thought her choices were nods to the relationship between Grand Guignol and other 19th century melodrama forms, including panto. Made sense to me. I understand why my singer friends feel Thompson's head voice doesn't go well with her belting, but it is a benefit and she does have a damn Oscar!

Otherwise, and though the Beadle was a tad pitchy, I don't understand all the whining here. And I've seen a LOT of SWEENEY TODDs.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 10:05am

^Two damn oscars!

Updated On: 9/28/14 at 10:05 AM

[jpbran]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 12:08pm

"I don't understand all the whining here."

LOL!

[MadAboutTheBoy]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 6:04pm

Two questions: Is Lucy usually played in the "There Was a Barber and His Wife" number by the same actress who plays Johanna and not by the actress who plays the beggar woman?

The other question I have is a lyric one. In green Finch and Linnet Bird" is Johanna supposed to be singing to birds in a cage in her room? The way it was staged implies this, but in one of the lyrics she says nothing sings in her rooms, nor even her lark?

Updated On: 9/28/14 at 06:04 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 6:17pm

^^^ I'm not sure who usually plays Lucy in that sequence, but I kept thinking, "Man! That was some traumatic rape! It actually changed her race!" (I know, I know: opera is supposed to be color-blind and Leontyne Price was a famous Butterfly.)

I didn't think the bird cages were in Joanna's room, but just outside her window. Yes, most stagings place them farther away, but moving them closer got them into the same TV shot.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 6:18pm

I'm finishing watching it at the moment - I've enjoyed it very much.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 6:26pm

I deeply enjoyed Thompson and Audra but that was about it. Everything else fell flat.
There just wasn't anything special.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 6:29pm

Yeah, it was nothing special, wasn't interesting to look at, and doesn't even compare to their production of Carousel last year.

[MadAboutTheBoy]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 6:32pm

Thank you, Gaveston. Now that you mention it, it does add a layer of subtext concerning the literary correlation between the violation of white maidenhood and color imagery (i.e. White being equated with purity and black being equated with moral bereftness).

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 7:24pm

Now that you mention it, it does add a layer of subtext concerning the literary correlation between the violation of white maidenhood and color imagery (i.e. White being equated with purity and black being equated with moral bereftness).

I thought the same thing. I know, it's supposed to be colorblind, but it sets an odd tone- Lucy was a pure innocent blonde white girl until she was raped and then she became a crazy black homeless woman.

I saw this live last March and watched Friday. With the exception of Emma Thompson (I didn't see Audra live), none of this stood out to me. A good Mrs. Lovett can't make up for all the other miscast actors and blah direction. The only moment I truly loved was the "deconstruction" during the first Ballad.

Last month, I saw the Landless Theatre Company's progressive metal Sweeney Todd production in DC. It was at a tiny hole in the wall theatre with non-Equity regional actors and I can't stop gushing about it. All the money and celebrity thrown at Lincoln Center, and they couldn't put on an entertaining show.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 9/28/14 at 7:44pm

It's unfortunate that Emma Thompson comes off as "mugging," for a lot of you; I loved her in the concert when I saw it. I suspect it has to do with TV close ups on a performance tuned to practically a stadium.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 11:43pm

Just rewatched. & enjoyed again. Yes there were off points but not enough to stop my enjoyment.
Orchestra and Chorus alone were worth the effort.

[CurtainsUpat8]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 11:56pm

Emma Thompson was far better than I thought she was going to be, but IMHO miscast. She is much to attractive for the role. I said earlier in the thread her key moment is when Sweeney ARRIVES. It's the climax of the play for her... all the rest is just plotting to get Sweeney alone, even though it's a delusion. I agree the Toby looked like he was in over his head. I've heard 1000's of young actors his age who were both better singers and actors. The Joanna never got the dizty part down. She's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. As lots of people have said some of the staging was bizarre. The trombone as the meat chopper, or whatever it was. And one more thing... who decreed that LONNY PRICE is the ONLY director able to stage these performances? Give me a break and give someone else a chance to show what they can do. He's had some hit's and some misses. Last random thought... Patti Lupone is probably the worst of all the Mrs. Lovetts. She is about as believable as an Victorian English working woman as Barbra Streisand would be. And NO... there is no need for Bernadette to do the role.

[lovebwy]

Posted: 9/30/14 at 12:24am

La LuPone was A-MAH-ZING as Mrs. Lovett in both the symphony and scaled down versions. Two very different but equally valid interpretations.

Emma was fine. I just can't wrap my head around why Bryn Terfel gets to play this role time and again. He's just not good at it. At all.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/30/14 at 12:41am

I think LuPone was the most miscast person to ever play that role.

God, I hated her in it and that entire ridiculous production.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 9/30/14 at 12:47am

LuPone showed her amazing acting skills in her portrayals of Nellie: while she was LuPone in the concert, by the time the revival came around, she had reinvented the role into something it never had been before: a sexy, all-knowing villain. She became Nellie and fully showed her capabilities as an actress in the role. I find that I listen to concert recording more often because of the improved orchestrations (why did they downsize it for the revival?) and the more complete recording, but LuPone brings me to the 2005 BCR often enough to keep it on my iPod.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/30/14 at 12:51am

She had reinvented the role into something it never had been before: a sexy, all-knowing villain.

I feel the same way about her Lovett. I recall plenty of groaning on here when she was announced for the 2005 revival. But once it began, her performance gained a lot of buzz and admiration because she completely reinvented her interpretation from every single aspect. The performance wasn't for everyone, but I found it astounding how she completely changed her interpretation and kept almost all of her mannerisms to a minimum.



Updated On: 9/30/14 at 12:51 AM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 9/30/14 at 1:37am

The WNY area got the broadcast tonight, and overall I loved it!

That being said...Terfel was DREADFUL. Concert production or not, you have to at least try to act. Also his vocals weren't exactly strong on the big vocal moments.

Thompson was having a good old time, and while I wish someone had helped her with some of the vocal transitions a bit more, I thought she was marvelous. I would love to see what she could do with a full production, more rehearsal time, and a Sweeney worth playing off of.

Audra was fantastic, but who really stole the show for me were Jay Armstrong Johnson & Erin Mackey. I loved their approaches, and it was perhaps the most beautiful vocals I've heard from a Johanna & Anthony.

The direction was fine, unfortunately the brilliant opening sequence pretty much makes any inventive staging that follows fall flat in comparison. That being said, any chance to hear this score played so beautifully is a reason to celebrate.

Updated On: 9/30/14 at 01:37 AM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/30/14 at 6:57am

Thank you, Gaveston. Now that you mention it, it does add a layer of subtext concerning the literary correlation between the violation of white maidenhood and color imagery (i.e. White being equated with purity and black being equated with moral bereftness)

I hope you (and the other poster who posted something similar) are being sarcastic!

Yes, I know white equals purity in some Western symbiologies, but I don't apply that color symbolism to HUMAN BEINGS! It's unfortunate enough that black children have to grow up in a society that equates "white" with "goodness" (not to mention "cleanliness" and "beauty"). Jeeze!

***

Lovett has plenty to do even after Sweeney returns. She has a business to run, you know. She has middle-class dreams of retirement by the sea.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 9/30/14 at 7:17am

MadAboutTheBoy, your question reminded me of a lyric quibble that occurred to me while watching this.

My cage has many rooms
Damask and dark
Nothing there sings
Not even my lark
Larks never will, you know
When they're captive

If she knows larks never sing when they’re captive, why does she sing “not even” just prior, implying a kind of special surprise that her lark doesn't sing? Wouldn't it just stand to reason that the lark wouldn't sing? Shouldn’t that emphasis be reserved for a bird that typically sings in captivity, but doesn’t in Turpin’s dark and dreary house?

We’ve seen what kind of trouble raising minor questions about Sondheim’s lyrics can get one into on this site, but hell if I’ve never been a risk-taker. So, what am I missing here?

(And don’t say it makes her a more interesting and varied character that her logic is semantically unsound and it’s a credit to Sondheim’s genius that she’s so three-dimensional!!! REAL PEOPLE talk like that!!!)

Updated On: 9/30/14 at 07:17 AM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 9/30/14 at 8:45am

Terfel was DREADFUL and I think that sums it up, Emma Thompson I really liked.