Sweeney Todd DVD - Which One?- Page 2

[Racetrack]

Posted: 10/30/05 at 12:49pm

I know that the 1982 filmed version was directed by someone else when it was put on film. So maybe they had a different interpretation on the characters and that's why Antony and Johanna come out that way. I agree though that they were over the top. Or it may have been Hal Prince to put them in those directions, but regardless they're a little over the top for me. I do love Victor Garber and Sarah Rice as Antony and Johanna.

[jfc2]

Posted: 10/30/05 at 1:24pm

I was the musical director for the tour and the 1982 DVD. Terry Hughes was the television director who shot the tape. He did no character direction--just put Harold Prince's production on tape. The product was very much in Prince's and Sondheim's control. By the way, Cris Groenendaal did not wear a hair-piece! I have done many productions since that one, and I do prefer Johanna and Anthony played more sincerely. There is humor even when you play the reality of the situation, and I prefer that kind of humor anyway. KISS ME is always going to be humourous. It's built in the lyrics.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/30/05 at 1:42pm

jfc2---A couple of things: First of all, bravo! You did an amazing job on a landmark musical.
* * *bows humbly before you. * * *

Second of all, poor Chris. To look like you're wearing a hair piece when you're not, is... well, sad. I based my assumption on the fact that it looked like one, and only 3 or 4 years later he was horseshoe bald in the "Sunday in the Park" DVD. Man, it fell out fast!

Thirdly... Both Chris and Betsy were part of the original Broadway cast and they understudied the parts they later played in the L.A. 1982 production. That's why I was sure it was a conscious decision worked out by Prince and the actors to change the approach of these characters. None of them went into it "blind."

And lastly... I think Prince is a genius. My guess is that he looked at these two roles and thought they needed "life" injected into them. He looked at the whole piece as Grand Guignol, and decided to give them an old-school, pure melodramatic approach. It could have been revolutionary or at least re-defining. But in my opinion, it just didn't work here and was less effective than the original simpler/truthful vision. You never know until you try, right?... and God bless them all for trying.

Updated On: 10/30/05 at 01:42 PM

[jfc2]

Posted: 10/31/05 at 2:26am

Thanks for the compliment, best12 bars, i really appreciate it! I am still doing that show, too. All over the country. I love it and it has been very good to me. Way back then, Chris was in the comb-over stage. He used to laugh about it all the time. The one thing that Prince wanted to bring out in those characters was the fact that Johanna and Antony were very young--she about 16 and he about 18. That affected their performances, too. Also for the road they decided to raise the key to "Green Finch", so that made it more difficult to sing. Also for the video, that whole section from "Green Finch" through the end of "Johanna" was shot at 7 in the morning, and that is very early to sing! They tried not to call Angela and George before noon, because we were filming all day and performing the show at night. It was a tough week!

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/31/05 at 10:24am

jfc2 --- Thanks so much for the "back story." That's truly fascinating. You know, I forget how hard it is to pull something like that off while you're performing a regular run of the show at night. 7 AM??? Good lord. Talk about suffering for your art. The things we do for "posterity." I'm amazed they made it through the songs in one piece then!

I had a friend who was in the original cast of "Les Miserables" in New York. I saw the fourth performance of it just after it opened, and we all went out for a drink after the show. I had to be honest with her, and (having never seen the show before), I told her it felt a bit tired already, and I was surprised. She laughed and told me they had been recording the cast album since 8 AM that morning, finished at 6PM, then performed the full 3+ hour show that night. Well, no wonder it felt tired to me! How does anyone open their mouths to sing after a day like that?

Sometimes we forget the people up on stage (and down in the pit, backstage, etc.) are all human beings. And I should know better, having been up there myself.

I apreciate you sharing these stories!

[SMiller]

Posted: 10/31/05 at 10:50am

I have both and I love the the 1982 version.

SMiller

[Demitri2]

Posted: 10/31/05 at 11:12am

Wonderful info jfc2. Thanks! Where was the 1982 tour version filmed? I always thought it was at the end of the L.A. tour but I believe people have mentioned Canada. By the way, did Angela have a much closer relationship with Hearn than with Cariou? The reason I ask is that being at the very final performance of the tour, I'll never forget something Lansbury did at the final curtain call. She walked up to Hearn, put her hands on both sides of his face and kissed him on the lips for what seemed an eternity. It was SO moving and fellow audience members had tears streaming down their faces at this point. Seeing this final performance was one of the most moving experiences I've ever had in the theater. (And yes, Chris G. was staying nearby to where I lived during the run and I saw him many times. His hair looked exactly the same on and off stage).

[jfc2]

Posted: 10/31/05 at 12:38pm

SWEENEY was taped at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in LA. We were in LA for 16 weeks. Angela and George were very close. She felt very comfortable with him, and she felt that the love story worked better with George than with Len Cariou. And she said he was more fun. That closing performance was very special for all of us--we had been together for over a year, and we were a real family. It is fun going back down memory lane, so if anybody has any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 10/31/05 at 7:00pm

jfc2, I thought that June Havock did the tour for a majority of its run and that Angela only did the tour in California. That is what the posters seem to suggest. In any case I still feel she does a better job on the OCR than she does on video, on video I still prefere Lupone.

[jfc2]

Posted: 11/1/05 at 1:28am

June Havoc was in the bus and truck production that went out after we were through with the National Tour. Ross Petty was the Sweeney with June Havoc.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 11/1/05 at 3:24am

Thanks for the info, jfc2. It is very intersting to know that the key was raised for Betsy Joslyn. It explains why I find it to be so piercing to my ears. I often wondered how she went on to replace Phalysha Rashad as the Witch in Into the Woods with that voice, is that the key she feels more comfortable in?

[Demitri2]

Posted: 11/1/05 at 4:15am

Joslyn sings in many keys....just listen to her on "A Doll's Life".

[Musical Director]

Posted: 11/1/05 at 11:15am

Betsy never felt comfortable in that key, but they didn't change it. Betsy has a very wide range and started out as a belter. Very talented and nice lady.

[OasisBroadway]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 1:55pm

I just bought the concert DVD and I love it!!! I think Patti is great. And Neil Patrick Harris really surprised me on this. His acting is great and he has a very nice voice.

But now after reading this I will definitely have to pick up the 1982 version.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 3:26pm

1982, nothing beats full staging.

[lovinlife]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 4:18pm

I personally got more out of the 1982 version, as the current revival and the concert are not fully staged.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 5:45pm

I remember seeing the show during the 1982 tour when it stopped at the Kennedy Center in DC and it was one of the highlights of my theatre-going life. Lansbury and Hearn were simply extraordinary.

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 6:48pm

1982 is the one to get. Johanna is truly awful (sorry, but it's true), but the production is amazing.

For the record, Patti is a LOT better in the current revival than in the concert. She was great in the concert, but her British accent wasn't up to par. She has really softened it up, and heightens a lot of the sexy, comedic aspects of Mrs Lovett. Her performance is vastly different from Angela L's, which is in itself an amazing feat.

[wherethehorizonlies]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 7:46pm

the '82 is really great but i vote both because i love the concept behind the concert version (to perform it using kabuki theatre techniques) and i do love patti in it as well as much of the rest of the cast

i just think it's great that we can have two versions of such a great show and that both of them are really decent

[lovinlovett]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 8:46pm

I saw the concert DVD first and then ended up getting the 1982 version a couple of months later. I love both for different reasons. I love all of the performances in the concert but the other has all the dialogue plus full sets and costumes.

Honestly, they are both amazing.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 9:29pm

I think it just all comes down to which one you saw first. I saw the concert first so when it comes to watching sweeney todd at home I prefer to pop in the concert DVD...

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 9:56pm

Don't kill me, but I kind of prefer the concert version.

*ducks from flying objects*

[neocomposer]

Posted: 1/20/06 at 10:42pm

I prefer the 1982 DVD. I mean, the concert dvd, what a landmark event, right? I think it has its place, but the dvd from 1982 with Lansbury? Wow. And George Hearn, I thought he was going to slice Elphaba through both times I saw him in Wicked! Just kidding, but wow- what a masterpeice. Gives me chills everytime.

Must see revival again!!!