Groban & Ashford in SWEENEY TODD On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 56

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/12/23 at 12:28pm

Scott Stephen said: "Yes, Nicholas Christopher will perform all shows except for 9/13 evening and 9/16 matinee! If you don't mind seeing the show without Josh, they're offering 2 for 1 tickets for Broadway week on top of the new rush discount!"

Awesome. I'm gonna try and see it on Sunday.

[Rainah]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 11:28am

Heard on another sm site that Groban is apparently only here till mind January, that this was apparently said on a podcast he was on. Anyone know which one/have any info? I was hoping to see the production on a march trip, but may have to reprioritize... but I also don't want to take secondhand info from a random person as gospel.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 11:41am

Since that podcast, it's been pretty common knowledge on here that Josh's final performance is scheduled for January 14, which is when ticket sales currently end. No one knows whether they're planning on closing on that date, or if they're thinking of a replacement, though.

Updated On: 9/13/23 at 11:41 AM

[Rainah]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 3:20pm

Thank you! What podcast was it?

[bear88]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 4:21pm

Just before the Tonys, Groban was part of a roundtable discussion in the Hollywood Reporter.

Asked when their last performances were, Groban said: "Mid-January for me. I think it will go on, though, after that."

This would be consistent with a Jan. 14 closing date. He leaves things open about whether the revival would continue with replacements, but that decision obviously isn't up to him. 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/tony-nominees-roundtable-sara-bareilles-jessica-chastain-josh-groban-1235503568/

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 4:22pm

It was a Hollywood Reporter Tony nominee roundtable:

Nice. Well, on behalf of The Hollywood Reporter and everybody listening or reading, I cannot thank you guys enough for sharing some of your day off with us. And listeners and readers, sadly Into the Woods and Top Dog/Underdog have closed on Broadway — you can see Into the Woods on tour — but there’s still time to see A Doll’s House, Kimberly Akimbo, Parade and Sweeney Todd!

CHASTAIN When do you guys close? I’m closing June 10th.

CLARK Never. We’re never closing. Kimberly Akimbo will run forever!

GROBAN Mid-January for me. I think it will go on, though, after that.

PLATT August 6th. Hard stop.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 6:42pm

Who's seeing Paul-Jordan Jansen's Sweeney debut tonight?

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 9/14/23 at 8:15am

I was there last night.

Fantastic voice, and wonderful to see his debut.

I was in the rear mezz and had no problem with the sound  quality. 

But I guess put me in the category of people who found the production lacking over all.

I was never nervous or scared, and the lackluster staging of Mrs. Lovetts death really took me out of it. 
 

Like in high school when you get to the end of a show and the director has to block it 20 min before opening bad. 

[ANewBrainn]

Posted: 9/15/23 at 1:27am

Went tonight to see Nicholas Christopher as Sweeney and was blown away.  His Epiphany was one of the best I've ever seen.  I still wish we had a Mrs. Lovett who wasn't Ashford (or maybe if she could just tone down the hamming to the audience and the shtick and play a character and the story) but Christopher was a major step up from Groban.  TBH this whole production is a major disappointment in conception and especially casting of the two main leads. I would prefer to see a myriad of other duos perform this score (I understand the financial incentive to cast Groban but he was a major disappointment in Great Comet too, he really doesn't have the acting chops to be in a serious broadway musical).  It was just such a breath of fresh air to see Christopher knock it out of the park.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/15/23 at 7:20am

ANewBrainn said: "Went tonight to see Nicholas Christopher as Sweeney and was blown away. His Epiphany was one of the best I've ever seen. I still wish we had a Mrs. Lovett who wasn't Ashford (or maybe if she could just tone down the hamming to the audience and the shtick and play a character and the story) but Christopher was a major step up from Groban. TBH this whole production is a major disappointment in conception and especially casting of the two main leads. I would prefer to see a myriad of other duos perform this score (I understand the financial incentive to cast Groban but he was a major disappointment in Great Comet too, he really doesn't have the acting chops to be in a serious broadway musical). It was just such a breath of fresh air to see Christopher knock it out of the park."

I wholeheartedly agree with all of the above. I have seen this production three times now (twice with Groban/Ashford and once with Christopher/DeWaal as Sweeney and Lovett, respectively). Seeing Nicholas Christopher and Jeanna DeWaal together was like a breath of fresh air. We had A) a menacing Sweeney (I never once found Groban's Sweeney to be scary in the slightest) and B) a Mrs. Lovett that was not hamming it up and milking every moment for a quick laugh. I feel very lucky to have seen the two of them go on at the same time.

This whole production is just "meh" in my opinion. The physical design elements are effective and I have no complaints there, but the direction is so lackluster to the point of feeling nonexistent at times. The sound design is truly atrocious - the worst I've experienced in a Broadway theatre since Matilda at the Shubert (which I saw countless times throughout it's long run, and it never once sounded "right". The movement and choreography are totally out of place and a huge misstep. The entire affair just feels bloodless and lacks thrills.

Updated On: 9/15/23 at 07:20 AM

[binau]

Posted: 9/15/23 at 9:49am

I agree that the physical production is a bit 'meh' and that Nicolas Christopher is a better actor than Groban, but Groban's voice is the 27th piece of the orchestra in my opinion. Every note he sings feels nuanced and so special to me, and his Epiphany is menacing in a kind of musical way for me than an acting way, if that makes any sense. I couldn't believe what I was hearing come out of those chords. I really wish I could see Nicolas Christopher do the role in a different production - imagining him for example in the Barrow Street pie shop one. I think I would be shaking. 

[ANewBrainn]

Posted: 9/15/23 at 10:09am

binau said: "I agree that the physical production is a bit 'meh' and that Nicolas Christopher is a better actor than Groban, but Groban's voice is the 27th piece of the orchestra in my opinion. Every note he sings feels nuanced and so special to me, and his Epiphany is menacing in a kind of musical way for me than an acting way, if that makes any sense. I couldn't believe what I was hearing come out of those chords. I really wish I could see Nicolas Christopher do the role in a different production - imagining him for example in the Barrow Street pie shop one. I think I would be shaking."

I really think that Groban's voice has more of an angelic quality to it than a menacing one and doesn't work with the character at all.  His acting works better in light broad comedies than any serious drama, I thought he was awful and misscast in Comet too.  I was distracted by his performance the entire time I was watching him.  It was really poor casting from the start and strikes me as 100% financially motivated with very little consideration for his fit in the role.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 9/15/23 at 7:55pm

The set ran into technical difficulties today so they're doing it as a concert (show was supposed to start at 7, and they made that announcement around 7:35). I think they were also running into issues with the ticket scanner so the line wasn't moving until they announced the concert staging (marketed as a "once in a lifetime chance". There's an option for people to get refunds but I got a TDF ticket to see Nicholas Christopher so I'm interested to see how they're going to be doing it. 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 9/15/23 at 8:01pm

I also had TDF tickets for tonight (N center orchestra).  They told me to contact TDF for the refund. I haven’t seen the production yet, so I don’t want me first exposure to be this “once-in-a-lifetime” concert lol.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 9/15/23 at 8:11pm

ANewBrainn said: "binau said: "I agree that the physical production is a bit 'meh' and that Nicolas Christopher is a better actor than Groban, but Groban's voice is the 27th piece of the orchestra in my opinion. Every note he sings feels nuanced and so special to me, and his Epiphany is menacing in a kind of musical way for me than an acting way, if that makes any sense. I couldn't believe what I was hearing come out of those chords. I really wish I could see Nicolas Christopher do the role in a different production - imagining him for example in the Barrow Street pie shop one. I think I would be shaking."

I really think that Groban's voice has more of an angelic quality to it than a menacing one and doesn't work with the character at all. His acting works better in light broad comedies than any serious drama, I thought he was awful and misscast in Comet too. I was distracted by his performance the entire time I was watching him. It was really poor casting from the start and strikes me as 100% financially motivated with very little consideration for his fit in the role."

As a person, I think Josh Groban seems like a great guy, and I usually love listening to his singing, but it didn't blow me away in this show. Technically, it's perfect, but it didn't make me feel much. The biggest problem for me, though, was the Jon Lovitz "Master Thespian" delivery of his dialogue. I've seen the show 3 times, and, at my most recent visit, I was thinking to myself, "This is just not good at all." It's just a really hammy "serious actor" voice, and, to me, it's like he's in a different show from everyone else.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 9/15/23 at 10:59pm

Apparently Tommy Kail made a curtain speech and the company performed only the first 40 minutes of the show as a concert. Although the article doesn’t specify, while in line, I heard the front-of-house workers saying it was technical difficulties with automation.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/SWEENEY-TODD-Strips-Down-Friday-Night-Show-Due-To-Set-Malfunction-20230915

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 9/15/23 at 11:44pm

While it seems like a unique night at the theatre, and I’m glad refunds were offered - I wonder how many people really paid upwards of $150 for only a 40 minute concert version rather than a 3 hour production? Oooof. 

[starcatchers]

Posted: 9/16/23 at 12:05am

Hairspray0901 said: "While it seems like a unique night at the theatre, and I’m glad refunds were offered - I wonder how many people really paid upwards of $150 for only a 40 minute concert version rather than a 3 hour production? Oooof."

 

No one. Everyone was automatically refunded whether or not they stayed. 

 

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 9/16/23 at 12:20am

No one. Everyone was automatically refunded whether or not they stayed.

"

I hope the above is not the case. I had tickets for tonight, as well, and we were told we could either stay, get a refund, or get post-dated tickets for another day. We opted to get our tickets switched to another day and were given a card with the customer service number to call (which was closed tonight, so I will call tomorrow). I had gotten my tickets today at a cheaper price (the only price that was finally in my price range, since Josh was out and we had a discount), so if they just automatically refunded everyone, I’ll definitely be upset, as I don’t know if I’ll be able to find tickets as cheap again. 

Also, while I certainly hope those who stayed and ended up only getting 40 minutes get a refund or can switch their tickets for another date, the option to see the “concert” version and still get a refund was definitely not originally given to us.

Anyone know why it ended up only being 40 minutes? They had made it sound like it was going to be the full show in concert.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 9/16/23 at 12:33am

What they were telling us outside the theatre definitely sounded like the entire show would be performed in concert. And they said it was either the concert or a refund, not both, and they didn’t give us the option to exchange tickets. What a mess. Management should have been way more on top of this. Why were 1500 people clogging up midtown sidewalks at the scheduled curtain time with no explanation or update of what’s going on? And no word about anything until 35 minutes after scheduled showtime? Ah well, onward.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 9/16/23 at 1:29am

I was there and it was, in a word, a nightmare. LOL. God bless the Lunt-Fontanne staff for all they had to deal with. They clearly didn't have any answers to give people.

I had my tickets to see Nicholas Christopher for a few months after the incredible word of mouth that started during previews in March. Sadly, I won't be able to make it for any of the performances for the rest of this weekend. Maybe I'll be able to swing it for one of his November dates, or if he has any random ones pop up in the meantime.

Anyway, on with the mess. As others have said, we were on 46th street for over an hour. I got into the line around 6:15 and was close to the front. I was able to see through the doors of the theatre and saw the commotion of the front of house staff, etc. We were told it was technical difficulties and that they'd try to get us in as soon as possible.

For some reason, they were allowing people into the mezzanine if they wanted to wait inside. We had no idea what that meant or why some people were allowed to go upstairs, buy merchandise, cocktails, etc. I, and others, were talking about how odd it was that if there were technical difficulties people could go to the mezzanine and potentially see what was happening. Still unclear what happened during that time.

Around 7:30, the front of house manager came out and announced that the automation was shut down and that they'd be offering refunds or we could stay for the. "once in a lifetime opportunity" that was a concert production. I chose to get my refund. Not many stayed for the concert. I feel bad for those who did because we were led to believe it would be the whole score. It was only the first 40 minutes. How terrible. The audience had waited so patiently all night for that. 

People were yelling and fighting. The box office staff were trying their best to accommodate everyone, but it was hopeless at a certain point. So many people bought tickets through TDF or the Lottery because Groban was out. Refunds were much more complicated for them. They were not helpful with exchanges. It was all just messy. Ah well.

I felt terrible for the people who traveled into New York to see this show, had hotel rooms, arranged their schedules, etc. It's just a crappy thing to happen. Many people said that they could only afford to see the show with Groban out and if they do get an exchange, they will have a hefty difference to pay. I'm lucky to live in NYC and be able to see it whenever I choose to. I don't take that for granted.

Ultimately, just a really difficult night for everyone at the theatre. I'd say the company of the show were troopers, but the 40 minute concert puts a bad taste in my mouth. 

I digress. Oy. 

What was most annoying to me was that the refunds took so long that I wasn't out of the lobby until well after 8:30. I wish I could've gone to another theatre nearby and tried to get a last minute ticket to something else. Not meant to be tonight I suppose!

Definitely a night to remember.

[LxGstv]

Posted: 9/16/23 at 1:40am

I was there tonight, at around 6:20 they started to let everyone that had mezzanine tickets in and we were waiting in the lobby by the bar and merch. We couldn’t go to our seats and no one told us anything about what was happening. Close to 7pm they announced they were having set issues and they were working to fix it and would keep us updated, the bar stayed open and everyone inside seemed in good spirits. Apparently a different experience than everyone outside…

At around 7:15 they announced they didn’t have an update yet, but they were still working to fix the set and would let us know once they had more information.

It must have been around 7:30 when they announced that it would start letting us into our seats soon and that they show would performed as a concert instead.

At that point I didn’t feel like waiting so I left, my tickets were tdf and the box office said they could not refund me,  I could only past date it. I would have to email broadway direct.

I believe they let people sitting in the mezzanine in to speed up the seating process after the set was fixed, which sadly didn’t happen. Unfortunate situation all around.

Updated On: 9/16/23 at 01:40 AM

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 9/16/23 at 1:58am

I picked up my ticket after 6:30, and by that point, the back of the line was halfway up to 47th on 8th Ave. It started to get dicey towards the end because Six had an 8:00 curtain and the back of the line at the Lena Horne started to overlap on 8th.

The performance really should have just been canceled and much sooner. At least the producers didn’t have to pay the company overtime. But also, maybe that’s why they couldn’t perform the entire show in concert. 

[bear88]

Posted: 9/16/23 at 2:31am

Technical malfunctions happen. Waves of illness happen. But this seems like a huge miscalculation that would have left a very bad taste in my mouth had I been there. It's one thing to have to rearrange plans at the last minute. I've done that on my last two trips to New York City - for the same show (not Sweeney Todd). But Friday night's situation must have put everyone - the cast, the crew, the audience, the poor house staff - in such a terrible position.

A 40-minute concert? That just feels like the production not wanting to cancel and refund everyone's money - which would at least have given them a chance to find another show to see.

ETA: While it sounds like there was a lot of confusion, I think I was probably a little harsh. The refunds were probably improvised but at least they were offered. Things happen sometimes.

Updated On: 9/16/23 at 02:31 AM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 9/16/23 at 7:35am

The entire performance was refunded. Cast was in full costume already so they agreed to perform the 40 minutes of Act 1. A friend was there and stayed and was informed he would be given a full refund.