Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979 Original Broadway Cast)
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Free Music Notes for Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979 Original Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: QUESTION, HELP!
Hit: 5 Stars
For someone who was just beginning to get into "Sweeney Todd" would you reccomend this recording or the 2005 revival?Free Music Review: One of the Greatest Theatrical Pieces of ALL Time!
Hit: 5 Stars
First, I must preface this review with the statement... "I CANNOT BELIEVE this recording has been taken out of print AGAIN! (This is the second time, and I can only think that perhaps the BMG/SONY merger may have something to do with this.) THIS DESPERATELY NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED, and RE-RELEASED, AGAIN!
What a real KICK this Wonderful, One-of-a-Kind, "Theatrical Event" was! I saw it on Broadway w-a-a-a-y back, in a "theatrical weekend" that included "ANNIE", and what a GREAT weekend it, indeed, was!
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Briefly, some perhaps helpful information.
Sweeny Todd, technically, is an opera, not just a broadway show.
It is a tale of good vs evil, that does not necessarily go the way one thinks things should.
It is Funny, Reverent, Irrevrevent, Droll, Sad, Bombastic, Intimate, filled with Love, Hate, Revenge, Murder, Deceit, "Pretty Women", and,....... Pies!
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I have lived with this album for a very long time, right back to the beginning, in fact. First on LP. Then, on Cassette Tape. Then the CD issue, and then the remastered issue. I also had the live vhs performance with Lansbury and Hearn. Then on LaserDisc, and now, on DVD. What a great treat to see Mrs. Lovett when she makes her first appearance, singing "The Worst Pies in London"...You'll long remember the first time you hear this knockout song!
Briefly: Sweeny Todd has been framed and sent to prison. He comes home, and finds Mrs Lovett's place, and re-rents his former quarters when he was known as Benjamin Barker, the barber. She also presents him with his old razors, upon which he sings a most moving benediction to them and what they mean to him. Mrs. Lovett and he begin working together to enact a most fitting revenge, with totally evil and awesome humor woven throughout it. Subplots are also here, to add to filling out the story some, and plenty of great, easily understood, singing (with clear diction to help you, too) that will revile you, transport you to great heights, make you laugh hystarically, fill you with love, move you to tears, make you tap your feet, sing along, and carry ditties in your head for days and days after listening.
Easily one of the greatest compositions for the stage in the last 50 years. Unlike lots of other broadway shows, Sweeney Todd will stay with you a very very long time, perhaps, as in my case, forever. I cannot for the life of me remember many "great" shows that I have seen, but Sweeney sticks with me...because of it's true greatness.
One of Sondheim's Greatest Works, FOR SURE!
You MUST experience this Wonderful little operatic Broadway gem...Trust Me, it's a really great, and totally unique work, that belongs in everybody's collection that loves great music and theater.
I see that there are few secondary sellers here with this great set of discs, and I would recommend that you get one soon, before They, Also, Are Gone, and then You Will Be Out of Luck! ~operabruin
Free Music Review: Sweeney Lives!
Hit: 5 Stars
"Sweeney Todd" was and is Sondheim's grand masterpiece, Tim Doyle notwithstanding, and this recording is the grand masterpiece of Sweeney Todd recordings. Listen to Len Cariou's voice -- magnificent! (And he was suffering from a bad cold/sore throat, supposedly caused by the fake earth the gravediggers used to shovel in the beginning minutes of the Broadway version of the musical). Angela never sounded better than on this remastered CD. On a small system like a boombox or a portable you won't notice a big improvement on the original CD, but on a room system you will feel the difference. The "bonus" tracks are a total waste of CD space. Couldn't they have found a rehearsal tape or a demo or something??? I think so.
I remember my mother driving me to the Korvette's Dept store at the Blue Star Shopping Center to get the original Sweeney Todd LP (yes, that's how old I am...). I played it to death, almost literally. I think I went through another LP set and a casette tape set before CDs came out. In my mind, nothing will ever beat that LP for sound and emotion and power, but this remastered CD is the next best thing.
Free Music Review: A Masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
Sweeney Todd is arguably one of the greatest musicals ever written. It has gorgeous melodies, witty and poetic lyrics, and a thrilling plot. The CD also showcases one of the best casts Broadway has ever seen.
Angela Lansbury is sensational as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney's "partner in crime". She delivers every song in a brilliant British music hall style, and every track she is on stands out. She is luminous.
Len Cariou is simply marvelous. While most people know (the highly overrated George Hearn) from the video, in my mind Len remains the definitive Sweeney. He plays the part with a brooding intensity and shocks as well as chills. His "Ephiphany" is possibly the best track on the album. A thrilling performance.
The rest of the cast is also spectacular. Ken Jennings is a very sweet and heartbreaking Tobias. Victor Garber delivers "Johanna" with a strong voice. Sarah Rice also does very well as Johanna, both sh a Garber are a delight in "Kiss Me".
This is a cast ablbum every true Broadway fan should own. It is, in a word, magnificent.
Free Music Review: Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Hit: 5 Stars
Only need one word to review this CD. Great