Sweeney Todd Off Broadway Performances

[QueenAlice]

Thank you Newintown. Somebody should send your note to Mr. Brantley. There is nothing pastiche about any of the score inSweeney except for the parlour songs.

[ljay889]

You should be able to email Brantley. I did once regarding the A Little Night Music revival, lol. He responded promptly. 

[HSky]

They just announced the lottery and extension to December. 

 

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Immersive-SWEENEY-TODD-to-Slay-Off-Broadway-Through-December-Digital-Lottery-Announced-20170302

[PepperedShepherd]

HSky said: "They just announced the lottery and extension to December. 

 http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Immersive-SWEENEY-TODD-to-Slay-Off-Broadway-Through-December-Digital-Lottery-Announced-20170302"

Thank you!  Was able to get a ticket (with pie) for my trip in September, as well as seeing it next week (sans pie).

[newintown]

"You should be able to email Brantley. I did once regarding the A Little Night Music revival, lol. He responded promptly."

I don't see much payoff in that; Brantley is a moderately knowledgeable person who thinks he's an intellectual and an expert. He would never admit to using any word incorrectly, especially one of his favorites for denigrating a writer's work, "pastiche" (which was not originally derogatory, but almost always is now).

There's a vast difference between homage and pastiche and merely being inspired by an existing work, oeuvre, or genre. Only a dilettante would call, for instance, Stravinsky's Pulcinella a pastiche of Pergolesi, or his Dumbarton Oaks a pastiche of Bach. 

Even the show tunes in Follies, often called pastiche, aren't really. Sondheim's work always incorporates his own originality and integrity, even when inspired by something identifiable. Brantley uses "pastiche"in an attempt to demean that integrity.

[Luscious]

Extended through December 31!

I see that I'm late to the party. Story of my life. Lol! Still, happy for the extension. Buy what's with the premium counter seats? What makes those seats premium?

sweenytoddnyc.com

[carnzee]

newintown said: 

There's a vast difference between homage and pastiche and merely being inspired by an existing work, oeuvre, or genre. Only a dilettante would call, for instance, Stravinsky's Pulcinella a pastiche of Pergolesi, or his Dumbarton Oaks a pastiche of Bach. 

Even the show tunes in Follies, often called pastiche, aren't really. Sondheim's work always incorporates his own originality and integrity, even when inspired by something identifiable. Brantley uses "pastiche"in an attempt to demean that integrity.

Interesting. I thought Sondheim himself used the word in regards to Follies, but I may be imagining. He said he basically copied "The Man that got away " when he wrote "Losing my Mind." 

I agree that "pastiche " doesn't apply to Sweeney.  What to you DOES count as a true "pastiche " song? Because any composer will bring something of themselves when writing a song in an old style, surely? 

 

[PepperedShepherd]

carnzee said:  "I thought Sondheim himself used the word in regards to Follies, but I may be imagining. He said he basically copied "The Man that got away " when he wrote "Losing my Mind." 
 

From his book Finishing the Hat, re Follies:  

"Adoring the Broadway canon as I did, the seductive aspect of the show was the opportunity to write two kinds of songs: character songs for the four principals and pastiches* for the other performers, in styles ranging from 1918 to the 1940s.

* To define the term, at least as I use it: pastiches are fond imitations, unlike parodies or satires, which comment on the work or the style being imitated."

 

Regarding "Losing My Mind", he writes:  "Musically, this was less an homage to, than a theft of, Gershwin's "The Man I Love", complete with near-stenciled rhythms and harmonies.  But it had a difference: a lyric written not in the style of his brother, but of Dorothy Fields."

 

 

[ColorTheHours048]

Caught this last night and thought it was absolutely fantastic. Yeah, maybe it's less of a thinking-man's Sweeney Todd than your average high profile production and runs away with the show's thriller/Grand Guignol roots, but all to its benefit. Jeremy Seacomb and Siobhan McCarthy are both perfectly cast for this particular production; he bringing an at times unbearably intense mania to Sweeney, she a surprisingly grounded and natural-feeling manipulativeness to Lovett. The supporting cast is equally fitting, serving not only their principal roles well, but acting as a perfectly calibrated ensemble as well. Real kudos to Bill Buckhurst for directing such a consistently paced production with atmospherics to spare. Most of all, I was impressed by how genuinely spooked I was by it. For the first time, I felt how fun this show can be, with its blend of comedy and horror (sometimes both simultaneously), laughing as Sweeney literally sticks his razor in your face before jumping across to a nearby table to scare the bejeezus out of an unsuspecting old lady.

But, of course, the true star here as always is that score and book by Sondheim and Wheeler. Stripped down to just three instruments (piano, violin, and assorted winds), you really can't get away from the intricacy, mood, and beauty of every moment of music. And the book, with its constantly shifting locale  and tone, shows how a well-told tale needs no elaborate settings to be effective. All you need is a willing audience, some candlelight, and a few game storytellers. It's theatre in its purest, simplest form and works like gangbusters.

Also, that meat pie beforehand was damn delicious.

[ColorTheHours048]

Re: The Letter and City on Fire - The Letter is spoken only, no choral arrangements (which is missed, but not detrimental). The real loss is the cutting of City on Fire. The internal scenes and their music are kept, but in place of the ensemble refrains, we simply have some quick underscoring. In my opinion, the music in this section really gives the climax the propulsion it needs and losing it makes the action kind of jumble together.

I'm so happy they chose to keep the (slightly abbreviated, but no less effective) bit of transition music between "No Place Like London" and "Worst Pies..." It's my favorite section of scoring in the whole show.

[willep]

Thanks for the clarification!

[followspot]

Regarding the $69 "Partial View" row of seats in the Barrow Street Theater mezzanine, be forewarned that they should more accurately be called "No View" seats, or even more accurately "Standing Room," as all 16 of us in this row needed to stand for the entire show in order to actually SEE the show.  Oddly enough, this is then an excellent view (of an excellent production), save for missing action at the top of the staircase.  (In short: "Partial View" if standing, "No View" if sitting.)  Pic is from eye level in a normal seated position.

[Leah Robertson]

Thanks for the photo! Guess we will need to rest our feet that day to prepare for standing! 

[amaklo]

followspot, could you please share the row and seat number you had?  Thanks.

[followspot]

BB113

[sondmon]

has anyone won the todaytix lottery? Are they just giving those partial view seats in the last row?

[willep]

^ I was wondering that as well.

[PepperedShepherd]

I saw this last Saturday from "twisting view" seat B9. Absolutely no problem with the view from here, provided you don't mind turning your head.  There's even ample room on the bench to shift your seating position sideways.  You just can't have anything on the table at any time during the show.  :)



As for the show: It's a great deal of fun. The cast is excellent and appear to be having a blast, while the staging & audience interactions are frequently inspired.   During Act One, I thought it was one of the best SWEENEYs I've seen (although a few trims to the lyrics did bother me a bit.)

The problems with the production become more apparent during Act Two, although its failures were somewhat expected given the nature of the space.  They haven't licked the problem of the multi-level action in Act Two. The barber shop, the pie shop, and the bakehouse should be on different levels and they have not found any way around that problem.  Cutting out all references to Sweeney's "best of barber chairs" doesn't solve it.  It just compounds the problem, imo, and the action gets rather confused as a result.  (Why, for example, does Sweeney drop a pile of books while standing 10 feet away from Mrs. Lovett, who then pulls a bundle out from behind the counter?)

FYI, the spoken "Letter" didn't bother me much, but losing "City on Fire" really highlighted how much it ties all the disparate parts of the climax together.

Bottom line: I would be hesitant to recommend this to someone as their first SWEENEY, but if you're capable of filling in the missing pieces, you should have a grand time.

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

followspot said: "Regarding the $69 "Partial View" row of seats in the Barrow Street Theater mezzanine, be forewarned that they should more accurately be called "No View" seats, or even more accurately "Standing Room," as all 16 of us in this row needed to stand for the entire show in order to actually SEE the show.  Oddly enough, this is then an excellent view (of an excellent production), save for missing action at the top of the staircase.  (In short: "Partial View" if standing, "No View" if sitting.)  Pic is from eye level in a normal seated position.

"

The $85 twist view seats (they were called "partial view when I bought them) are a much better deal. You do need to twist to see much of what's happening, but they are right in the middle of the action.

[macnyc]

I'm glad I was able to upgrade my partial-view seats in the mezzanine. That view would have driven me crazy! I'm wondering why the theater didn't raise that back row up a little bit! Seems to me it wouldn't have been that hard to do.