"Smart! And into all those exotic mystiques -- The Kama Sutra and Chinese techniques. I hear she knows more than seventy-five. Call me tomorrow if you're still alive!"
Patti looks kind of dead, but whatever. Maybe that's what they were going for. They're interesting photos, I'm definitely going to see the production. I'm glad they're sticking with the instrument concept for Michael and Patti as well. Can you imagine watching Patti LuPone playing the tuba. Worth the price of admission alone!
She also is photographed with the coronet. I bet Patti will end up playing that instrument as well. If she can play the tuba, she can probably learn coronet, and its a lot more mobile.
Somehow, the pics make me even less interested in seeing the show. Not only does the casting seem off to me, but the whole actor-playing-musical-intruments thing just doesn't make any sense to me other than a vain attempt on the part of the director to make his production different. How does it serve the show? What layer does it add that the show was previously lacking? What is the artistic reasoning behind it? It just doesn't compute.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Michael Cerveris with a saw makes me think of how ridiculously awesome and eerie it would be to add a musical saw as an instrument in Sweeney Todd.
Alas, though, he's not holding the right kind of saw.
As far as actors playing instruments... I'm ready for something that I haven't seen before, especially in Sweeney (I've been studying Sweeney Todd intently for almost four years, now). There's no way that I'll miss this revival. Updated On: 8/31/05 at 01:05 PM
I saw the show in London, and the actors playing instruments was not at all distracting, nor did it affect the audience's enjoyment of the show. The director managed to make it work very well.
Ljay889, who says Sweeney can't be sexy? A great deal of what Mrs. Lovett does is out of lust for him. He should be played as a fully realized person, complete with desire and desirability. Just as every character should be played.
i'm with mister matt. what is the purpose of having the characters play instruments? is it just a gimmick? i don't get it either. Updated On: 8/31/05 at 01:24 PM