Sweeney Todd (2005 Broadway Revival Cast)
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Free Music Notes for Sweeney Todd (2005 Broadway Revival Cast)
Free Music Review: Superb
Hit: 5 Stars
This most recent revival of Sweeney Todd is a riveting and creative take on the Sondheim classic. Having seen the splendid original Broadway production in '79 or '80, I was surprised to find that I prefer this one. Once you (quickly) become accustomed to the stripped-down instrumental accompaniment (to go with the minimalist stage design), for which the actors play their own instruments, both the singing and the emotional impact of the music come across with a greater clarity.
Most fans of this musical tend to associate Angela Lansbury with the role of Mrs. Lovett, and indeed she endowed it with a comic, manic verve that is difficult to match. Len Cariou (the first Broadway Sweeney) and George Hearn (his successor) were both expressive and moving as the tragic demon barber. In the new version, Patti LuPone offers up a very different Mrs. Lovett: darker, sassy, cold yet passionate, more openly calculating and much more frightening. Her singing, slurred lyrics and all, is vibrant, and perfect for this interpretation-- in "A Little Priest," she manages to be simultaneously scary and funny. The gifted and versatile Michael Cerveris is a wonderful Sweeney Todd. The earlier Broadway Sweeneys gave this character a haggard poignancy; Mr. Cerveris' barber is silkier, more sinister, more tightly wound, with a dash of rather disturbing sex appeal, and in terms of vocal ability he far surpasses Cariou and Hearn. Manoel Felciano does a fine job, and sings nicely, as Toby, Lauren Molina is a touching, sweet-voiced Johanna, Mark Jocoby a fine Judge Turpin, and the rest of the cast excellent all-around.
I highly recommend this recording, and hope to see a DVD of the stage production in the near future.
Free Music Review: Clarity reigns above all here!!SONDHEIM shines afresh!
Hit: 5 Stars
PURISTS BEWARE! if life simply stopped with the 1979 Lansbury-Cariou recording then don't read on! If you enjoy reconfiguration and fresh ideas THEN THIS RECORDING IS FOR YOU.This is now the fifth Internationally recorded version of SWEENEY TODD and it is a gem.If you didnot see this Patrick Doyle directed version on Broadway, it may seem a little odd at first.The orchestra is gone and all of the parts are skillfully played by the actors themselves.The sound is small and intimate,just as the production was.What this particular recording has going for it is it's incredible CLARITY.The score and the words all come through brilliantly.Because of the rescoring of the music,all of the nuances of the Sondheim piece are heard far more clearly ,yet differently.This will undoubtedly upset some but will most likely charm and intrigue most others.Michael Cerveris IS NOT Hearn or Cariou( frankly in his OWN way he is better!);Patti LuPone IS NOT Lansbury nor is Patti the same Mrs.Lovett as on the live 2000 recording;Lauren Molina is a light-airy Johanna whose EVERY WORD is crystal clear,quite unlike just about every other Johanna on record;Mark Jacoby as Judge Turpin is more second tenor than the usual bass ,and Pirelli is, yes (horror of horrors) A WOMAN!!!-so what!!!This is all deftly and professionally performed and recorded,and pushes it's outlandish way right into the fray with all of the other SWEENEY TODD'S.TRY IT,YOU JUST MIGHT LIKE IT!!!As a lover of all that is Sondheim,I say,be bold and brave and add this SWEENEY to your collection so you,too,can compare and share.Opera lovers might always stick to the original,but theatre lovers will venture to this SWEENEY and embrace it.Free Music Review: Positively brilliant
Hit: 5 Stars
When first I learned that Stephen Sondheim had composed a musical featuring a murderous barber, I determined never to see it. Alas, my partner soon convinced me we ought to get tickets. From there, it was a short ride to falling in love with the score, not to mention the original cast production, featuring Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou.
So smitten were we, despite the unpalatable subject, we then proceeded to see each New York stage production afterward.
To be sure, the 2005 production was also the most stripped-down, but this CD includes the intimacy with the characters, and the fineness of the vocals to match the extraordinary stage production itself. As an owner of both the original cast recording, and this most recent stage recording, I confess them to be equally grand, albeit for different reasons.
All right, Patti LuPone seems an unlikely tubaist, but she's convincing and more than competent, despite one's alternative expectation. Surprisingly, at the end of the day, her Mrs. Lovett is just as endearing as the character Angela Lansbury spun in the original 1979 production.
Our usher at the 2005 Broadway staging avowed that Mr. Sondheim himself found this the best production yet of his incomparable operetta; after seeing it, we could agreed. In fact, we went twice.
Without a doubt, Sondheim is the most brilliant Broadway composer of our time, on a par with Leonard Bernstein in an earlier era. And anyone enamored of his work owes themselves a copy of this recording. It's stupendous. Listening is almost as strangely delightful as was seeing the show itself.
---Alyssa A. Lappen
Free Music Review: Perfect.
Hit: 5 Stars
Sweeney Todd is the greatest musical that has ever been made, Sondheim is the greatest lyricist and composer of musical theatre, and the revival production on Broadway was the single greatest thing I've seen on Broadway in the past 10 years. This cast recording is the best recording of anything that I've ever heard, period.
The wickedly talented Michael Cerveris owns the role of Sweeney, it really is going to be the crowning achievment in his impressive career. He's just that good in it, and throughout his performance he repeatedly broke my heart and scared me to death, often simultaneously like in the case of 'Epiphany'... Lupone is a goddess of musical theatre, and it shows here as usual, and supporting players like the scene-stealing Alex Gemignani and the loveably charasmatic Mano Felciano are standouts among an exceptionally talented cast.
Buy this CD, it's a must have for everyone who is interested in musical theatre. No, it's not 100% complete ('Parlour Songs' and 'City on Fire' are the two obviously missing songs), but this recording still retains it's flow without them. It would've been great to have this be a complete recording, but unfortunately due to time constraints and budget the cast was only able to record a 'highlights' version, and yet, besides the two missing songs mentioned, this feels more complete than most cast recordings do.
I was so lucky to have seen this twice on Broadway before it closed on September 3, 2006. I felt like I was witnessing something that would truly only come to Broadway once in my lifetime. Trust me, there won't be anything like it again for a very long time.
Free Music Review: Redefines the Theatrical Experience
Hit: 5 Stars
I must first preface this review by stating that I have seen this new production twice, and long to see it again.
I have to agree with other reviewers who state that unless you have seen this production you cannot begin to imagine the impact of the simple staging and orchestrations. Sarah Travis's orchestrations are, simply put, brilliant. The depth of sound accomplished with a mere 10 instruments on stage is remarkable. The simplicity of the production leaves nothing to distract from the horror. This production challenges both viewers and listeners to enter the world of Sweeney Todd. It is not a splashy set-driven piece as was the original Harold Prince incarnation. It requires the listener to focus on the words and nuances in Sondheim's incomparable score and pay more attention to those delicious, malevolent words. Mark Jacoby's rendering of "Johanna" is a perfect example of this; one cannot escape the image of the Judge's masturbatory self-flagellation. Patti Lupone substitutes the dark smarminess that was truly Victorian for the silly, almost comical, fluff of Angela Lansbury's performance. The cd listener is at a disadvantage because so much of Michael Cerveris' evil is in his eyes and smile. His performance is simply the scariest thing I have ever seen on the Broadway stage. He is truly a force to be reckoned with and I cannot imagine the Tony award going to anyone else.
This Sweeney Todd is not for the faint of heart...and is not for someone who is used to overstaged, overhyped, Berkleyesque Broadway fluff. It requires thought, introspection and intestinal fortitude.