Groban & Ashford in SWEENEY TODD On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 22

[the.hard.part]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 3:15pm

What was the approximate run time? (I'd heard the show started late/intermission ran long)

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 3:18pm

RippedMan said: "Everyone's capable of making a mistake here or there."

Sorry. Are you suggesting the design for a show you haven’t seen is “a mistake”? I just want to clarify your intent with this statement.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 3:37pm

For sure. Just saying to your point: she might have won awards and grants doesn’t mean she can’t make a mistake or be misguided. And simply going off what others have said. 
 

It’s that, given the prestige of this show and knowing it’ll prob do gangbusters business, we are just feeling let down that the production isn’t bigger in the design elements. Same with the recent Music Man. I happen to love a lavish scenic design and when it’s paired with terrific acting, singing, direction can be transcendent. Like the recent Fun Home. When the daughter walked into the home and the entire home rose from the stage, with the underscoring, *chefs kiss* 

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 3:47pm

Simple and/or minimal set designs can still be beautiful and effective. I don't see the show until April, but this set looks beautifully dark and evocative. I said this in a previous post, but I LOVE how the orchestra pit wall is a designed piece of scenery that is made of a grate that allows the audience to see the large orchestra. 

Updated On: 2/28/23 at 03:47 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 3:51pm

FANtomFollies said: "Simple and/or minimal set designs can still be beautiful and effective. I don't see the show until April, but this set looks beautifully dark and evocative. I said this in a previous post, but I LOVE how the orchestra pit wall is a designed piece of scenery that is made of a grate that allows the audience to see the large orchestra.

"

Cool photo! I also love the grated railing for the orchestra pit. I believe the most recent revival of ON THE TOWN at The Lyric (which also had a huge orchestra) used a railing around the orchestra pit instead of just a wall.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 3:55pm

Totally agreed! Minimal can be gorgeous! I think I’m more offended that the pie shop is just … that… and it’s rolled on by actors… 

But the actual set is gorgeous it’s just all the little things that I think cheapened the overall design for me. Similar to the recent Fiddler that had crew dressed in costume to move scenery . Not great. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 4:32pm

Judging from the photos, the set is fairly reminiscent of the one used for the original production.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 4:36pm

A report I got had no complaints about the set. Set seems to serve its purpose, this isn’t The Cursed Child… 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 4:48pm

RippedMan said: "Totally agreed! Minimal can be gorgeous! I think I’m more offended that the pie shop is just … that… and it’s rolled on by actors…

But the actual set is gorgeous it’s just all the little things that I think cheapened the overall design for me. Similar to the recent Fiddler that had crew dressed in costume to move scenery . Not great."

“Offended”? The original pie shop was THE EXACT SAME CONCEPT.

I really can’t roll my eyes hard enough.

Updated On: 2/28/23 at 04:48 PM

[Cory Schimmoelelr]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 4:52pm

HogansHero said: "
It's one thing to forgive those who are too ignorant to know they shouldn't sing along at the theatre. I expected more from some who post here."

At the risk of continuing the discussion on this utterly worthless post, I wanted to point out that this was never brought up in this thread. Nobody said that they were fine with singing along or that they did it themselves. Go ahead and jerk yourself raw over the thought that you're the one person with taste.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 4:57pm

@elephantseye I was not pointing at anyone in particular but at everyone focused on merch etc. I had not connected your earlier posts in this thread and your point is well taken. I did notice your smart post downstream, and I enjoyed reading it. 

@Matt Rogers Your blind attack on the set seems to be a veiled attack on ticket prices. As others have said, the ticket price does not correlate to the set cost (or any other individual element) [just as one does not correlate the value of a da Vinci painting to the cost of canvas and paint]. You are not entitled to your expectation. Your comment about merch is a non-sequitur. (For the record, I realize that producers want to sell anything by which to make (more) money, and I realize the customers for these things want to buy it, but I feel it is at the expense of the vast majority of the audience and if I were in charge, I would banish both merch and bars.) Regarding drunks, your laughable comment has already been debunked so I got nothing else for ya.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 5:06pm

Absolutely staggered that people are going to this expecting a huge automated set.

 

The best productions I’ve seen of this show aren’t built on spectacle. Atmosphere can be created with the minimal amount of set and props. 

 

The Michael ball London revival was sensational- and set in a warehouse space with just a rolling staircase and the barber shop truck. Absolute magic. 

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 5:17pm

"Absolutely staggered that people are going to this expecting a huge automated set."

I think since we've seen many a production of Sweeney with little or no set, folks were hoping a big and very expensive revival would be the first opportunity since the original production to see a large and epic Fleet Street. 

I don't think a large set is required or necessary, regardless of the price point, but I understand how someone could be disappointed given the context.  

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 5:22pm

That makes sense, but the people complaining the most haven’t even seen the production, lol. 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 5:25pm

Um theres a wonderful film made of the original Broadway production and it's very minimalist. Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett are not rich people. Why would you guys expect an extravagant set? You want extravagant sets, go to POTO. 

I see this in April. Can't wait.

[NoItAll]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 5:45pm

“And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic mills?”

Those lyrics were my first reaction to the picture of the set. It’s a great fit to the story. And if stuff has to be moved about, visible human labo(u)r should do it.

Updated On: 2/28/23 at 05:45 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 7:41pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "RippedMan said: "Totally agreed! Minimal can be gorgeous! I think I’m more offended that the pie shop is just … that… and it’s rolled on by actors…

But the actual set is gorgeous it’s just all the little things that I think cheapened the overall design for me. Similar to the recent Fiddler that had crew dressed in costume to move scenery . Not great."

“Offended”? The original pie shop was THE EXACT SAME CONCEPT.

I really can’t roll my eyes hard enough."

Yes, in the 70s. Different times, different expectations. 
 

Sorry the recent Angels really spoiled me with stagecraft. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 7:43pm

poisonivy2 said: "Um theres a wonderful film made of the original Broadway production and it's very minimalist. Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett are not rich people. Why would you guys expect an extravagant set? You want extravagant sets, go to POTO.

I see this in April. Can't wait.  
 


extravagant doesn’t equal opulence. The original Cats was extravagant but not opulent. 

Updated On: 2/28/23 at 07:43 PM

[bk]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 8:09pm

poisonivy2 said: "Um theres a wonderful film made of the original Broadway production and it's very minimalist. Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett are not rich people. Why would you guys expect an extravagant set? You want extravagant sets, go to POTO.

I see this in April. Can't wait."

I love that people think the original production had a minimalist set. They brought over an entire foundry from England, you know. It was a great set that did many things, but unfortunately the "film" as you call it was made in LA where the tour was a shadow of what that set had been on B'way, so let's not act like that represented the amazing set on B'way.

 

 

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 8:31pm

It was actually from New England -- to be specific, the remains of an iron foundry from Rhode Island purchased for roughly five figures. And aside from that and the ability to bury Sweeney below the stage rather than toss the bundled corpse in the oven as on tour, it was exactly the goddamn same. Some of the dimensions may have been on a sliding scale because there's no space quite like the Gershwin in terms of stage size, but it wasn't a dramatic difference.

Updated On: 2/28/23 at 08:31 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 8:47pm

KJisgroovy said: ""Absolutely staggered that people are going to this expecting a huge automated set."

I think since we've seen many a production of Sweeney with little or no set, folks were hoping a big and very expensive revival would be the first opportunity since the original production to see a large and epic Fleet Street.

I don't think a large set is required or necessary, regardless of the price point, but I understand how someone could be disappointed given the context."

KJ says my thoughts perfectly. 

Maybe we've just been spoiled by the recent Company that was just so beautifully designed and directed. And I thought with this cast we'll get something even better. Curious to hear the changing and if it'll at least be bloodier. 

[morosco]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 9:30pm

...but I LOVE how the orchestra pit wall is a designed piece of scenery that is made of a grate that allows the audience to see the large orchestra.

I would imagine that the decision to use a grate like material as a railing was mainly to improve the natural sound of the orchestra. It allows for a more acoustic sound.

On another topic, I would greatly miss the use of a factory whistle.  

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 9:42pm

“Sorry the recent Angels really spoiled me with stagecraft.”

 

oof, we have different memories of that set. I loved the production/direction and much of the set but that turntable set in part 1 looked like it was going to topple over. 

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 10:15pm

"And aside from that... it was exactly the goddamn same"

Aside from the life size factory on stage that was "part cathedral, part factory, part prison, that dwarfed and degraded the swarming denizens of the lower orders" it was EXACTLY the same. 

[inception]

Posted: 2/28/23 at 10:35pm

HogansHero said: "(For the record, I realize that producers want to sell anything by which to make (more) money, and I realize the customers for these things want to buy it, but I feel it is at the expense of the vast majority of the audience and if I were in charge, I would banish both merch and bars.)

Whoa!  No merch?  That is a bridge too far!

But it should be set up where lines don't cause too much congestion.

Restroom lines at intermission are bad enough.

I do think that the last few times I was at the St James for Frozen & Into the Woods, and at the three times I was at the Hirschfeld for Moulin Rouge the ushers directed the restroom lines admirably.  Hospitality seems to be something Jujamcyn excels at in their theaters.

Perhaps the Nederlanders could take a lesson?

Updated On: 2/28/23 at 10:35 PM