Sweeney Todd review: Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford are a shear delight in Broadway revival
9 / 10
When onstage together, Ashford and Groban are a force to be reckoned with as they bring the painfully one-sided relationship between their characters to life. Ashford, who often adopts a starry-eyed look whenever Groban is near, is sweet and accepting of all of Todd's glaring red flags — at one point remarking to her murderous partner, 'Surely one's enough for the day, dear?' — while Groban's Todd utilizes her affections for his own violent ends. At times throughout the performance, it almost appeared as if Ashford was gleefully trying to goad Groban into dropping Todd's deadpan demeanor with her outlandish antics. She appeared to succeed once throughout the night — getting Groban to crack a full-bodied laugh during their phenomenal performance of 'A Little Priest' — but by then she was equally laughing too, so the pair simply took a beat before proceeding with their cannibalistic crooning.
