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Showing posts from April, 2023

Sweeney Todd is Cutting Entertainment

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Photo @ Sara Krulwich  Hard to believe, but up until this afternoon, I'd never seen Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd live. I have seen the film made of the original production with George Hearn and Angela Lansbury, and also the movie with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. So I don't have any live experiences to compare with, but I absolutely loved the new revival starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. The direction by Thomas Kail is very traditional and straightforward, does nothing radical, but presents the musical in a rather operatic way. There is a 26-member orchestra that makes Sondheim's magnificent, operetta-inspired score sound amazing. The sets (by Mimi Lien) and costumes (by Emilio Sosa) are somewhat minimalist but evocative of 19th century East End London.  Photo @ Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman The whole show was stolen by Annaleigh Ashford's hilarious, cheerfully sociopathic Mrs. Lovett. She obviously drew inspiration from Angela Lansbury'