Aaron Tveit, Sutton Foster will next star in ‘Sweeney Todd’- Page 15

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 2/15/24 at 11:14pm

I imagine they will invite them back, but are giving them a bit of time to settle in.

MY FAIR LADY was re-reviewed when Laura Benanti took over. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/15/24 at 11:20pm

Thx for those examples! If they re-reviewed MFL with Benanti, then I'd be surprised if they DIDN'T send someone to re-review Sweeney with Foster (even if it's not Jesse again).

But they'd better invite them quick before everyone's schedule gets too busy...

[SKOC211]

Posted: 2/15/24 at 11:28pm

When Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch replaced Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury, respectively, in A Little Night Music the show was re-reviewed as well.

[binau]

Posted: 2/15/24 at 11:51pm

Perhaps a lesser famous example is Marin Mazzie in next to normal who was also re-reviewed. I would be surprised if they didn’t re-review with Sutton Foster. 

Updated On: 2/16/24 at 11:51 PM

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 2/16/24 at 12:59am

King and I and Color Purple were re-reviewed together once Marin and Heather joined the cast

[getatme]

Posted: 2/16/24 at 1:11pm

Broadway Flash said: "Oh that’s a pity. bizarre that they’re transferring everyone over tony. I heard even Rachel Tucker, Monday norma, is transferring. It’s unnecessary and probably more expensive."

Rachel Tucker is not transferring with Sunset.

 

Saw Tveit/Sutton last night and found it to be a mixed bag.

Sutton I think fares far better than Tveit. The vocals in the bootleg from her first show filled me with dread, but I thought she sounded pretty good last night. It's not necessarily "pretty," but her voice has a power and character to it that I thought Annaleigh's lacked. She's definitely doing a lot, largely to over-compensate for Aaron, but I found a lot of her bits genuinely funny and few, if any, of them felt pre-planned and canned. She works very well with Joe Locke, who makes a pretty spectacular Toby.

Aaron I think is just woefully miscast. He does not look old enough in any way, he looks maybe 5 years older than Anthony at most. Vocally, they've altered some of the keys which I don't have a problem with, but his lower notes are at the bottom of his range and lack any resonance, power, and occasionally volume. I don't think he ever comes across as especially terrifying, scary, insane, or vengeful, at most he's mildly irritated (he doesn't shout for Anthony to leave before Epiphany which then makes Lovett coming in saying "all this shouting!" make absolutely no sense).

If I'm being honest, I've never thought much of Aaron as an actor. I have not been impressed with a performance of his since Next to Normal (save Schmigadoon, which I thought suited him very well), and I felt similarly here. I get what he's going for--the sort of "every man driven mad by the situation he finds himself in--as it's a similar take to Groban's, but I just didn't think he made enough active choices for it to feel rewarding or satisfying to watch in anyway.

Overall, glad I saw it, don't feel the need to return. Still find this production to be just a barrel of missed opportunities and a shocking lack of clear direction or perspective from Kail.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 2/17/24 at 9:42pm

‘Heartstopper’ Star Joe Locke on His Gloriously Gritty Broadway Debut in ‘Sweeney Todd’ | Vogue
https://www.vogue.com/article/joe-locke-sweeney-todd-interview

[MezzA101]

Posted: 2/19/24 at 10:44am

 

Everyone Knows Sutton Foster Can Sing. Now We Know She Can Juggle. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/19/theater/sutton-foster-sweeney-todd.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Wk0.g91E.VnRbIZCqGVU0&smid=nytcore-android-share

[halfhourcheckwithmerman]

Posted: 2/19/24 at 12:44pm

That article says the show "is expected" to close after Sutton and Aaron leave. 

[BarnabyTucker]

Posted: 2/19/24 at 7:54pm

I caught this on Thursday having seen the first preview with the original cast; a couple months into the run with the original cast; and now Tveit/Foster. 

Foster should have opened this production.  Her Lovett is dynamic and is a clear psycopath who presents as warm and funny when really she'll kill anyone who stands between her and what she wants.  I can honestly say she's now my second favorite Lovett right behind Lansbury.  I had adored Ashford both times I saw her, but now I see what folks meant when they said they thought she just mugged her way through the role.  Foster is spinning witchcraft up there and it's genuinely chilling AND thrilling. 

Tveit gives a respectable acting performance but he has no business singing this score.  It just doesn't resonate and I found myself pulled away from the action because I kept thinking how much I wanted a baritone to be singing this score live.  Ah well. 

More than anything the direction and choreography in this production is embarassing.  Wow I had really liked the choreography at the first preview and subsequent performance I'd seen with the original cast, but now it's just busy for the sake of being busy and distracting.  I wonder if it's because there are two leads who really did their homework and created defined characters with great chemistry that I now see how distracting everything surrounding them is?  Also, the Judge is cartoonishly evil and is mugging as bad as Ashford was.

Ruthie and Joe are giving wonderfully thoughtful performances as are the young romantic heroes.  Maria's interpretation of the role has always been exceptional but she's only continued to mine the score and text for more, and I sincerely hope she goes on to have a promising career. 

All in all, a mixed bag like it's always been.  Foster just proves she can do no wrong.  I only wish there had been a director at the helm who had a vision beyond "Josh Groban at the box office makes money :)"

[StageManager2]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 5:01am

Joe Locke had nothing to do with the $1.2 million gross increase during the week of 2/6-2/11, when Foster and Tveit joined.

Locke joined the show the previous week and it only grossed $857,422.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 5:11am

halfhourcheckwithmerman said: "That article says the show "is expected" to close after Sutton and Aaron leave."

Which would leave the Lunt empty for the summer. Really thought they'd try and get replacements for them to keep the show open through the summer.

[inception]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 10:19am

It is likely better for sales right now to say it will close when they leave.  Then miraculously closer to May perhaps some "names" will become available.

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 10:28am

Definitely hoping at the very least for a Bernadette/ a little night music scenario. 
 

certainly they would have by now announced if Old Friends was transferring. Maybe Bernadette would be free. 

[BETTY22]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 10:39am

inception said: "It is likely better for sales right now to say it will close when they leave. Then miraculously closer to May perhaps some "names" will become available."

If that were true, the Times would have reported it. Or at least, removed the sentence about the show closing. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/20/24 at 11:16am

ACL2006 said: "Which would leave the Lunt empty for the summer. Really thought they'd try and get replacements for them to keep the show open through the summer."

By all accounts they already did an exhaustive search for replacements, and landed on Foster & Tveit after others said no. There's a difference between trying and succeeding, even when you have people with as much weight as Tommy Kail, Jeffrey Seller, and the legacy of Sondheim. As discussed ad nauseam, sometimes major stars just do not want to replace an acclaimed performance.

As for the NYT "expected to close" wording, this allows them to try to push casual buyers to go during Foster & Tveit's run, while allowing them to try a last-ditch effort at replacement casting with people who mean more than Foster/Tveit (or perhaps even coaxing Groban back, as with Midler/Dolly). That line isn't there by accident and was no doubt fed to Paulson by the production.

Updated On: 2/20/24 at 11:16 AM

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 2/21/24 at 12:00pm

Just curious - Does Sutton Foster stage door and sign? 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 2/21/24 at 12:57pm

They're closing May 5. If Aaron/Sutton were the biggest names they could get as a first replacement cast (they asked many others, including Sara Bareilles I'm told), then they aren't going to go another rung down in terms of star power. They did that experiment with the weeks between casts. The Nederlanders probably will try for a musical act to have a short residency over the Summer as they've done in the past.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 2/21/24 at 1:39pm

Can Sutton and Aaron extend?

[The Rural Juror]

Posted: 2/21/24 at 2:06pm

I feel like they could probably find a duo on the level of Sutton and Aaron to replace if they wanted to. Playing Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett on Broadway is pretty enticing to most musical theatre actors, even as replacements. I'm thinking Jane Krakowski. Audra was my first choice, but it seems Gypsy may have taken that opportunity, which is absolutely fine. 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 2/21/24 at 11:57pm

Saw the show tonight. As I've mentioned before, I hated just about every comic bit of mugging that Groban and Ashford forced upon us. While a lot of it was sadly still there (bad director, bad) there was one saving grace...Sutton Foster.

Foster is unbelievable in this role. While that mugging is still there, I actually laughed more than I did the first time I saw the show. Her ability to ground anything she does so her actions just make sense? It's a powerful skill I wish they could bottle and give to all leading ladies. While her accent was a bit confusing at first - shades of Edith Bunker during "Worst Pies in London" perhaps - in the end her ability to deliver the pathos and the humor, and turn it on a dime. It's remarkable.

A bit less remarkable? Aaron Tveit. While his acting and singing talents were there - and some moments were lovely - his inability to sing the song as written just made him a passenger along the Sutton ride. The gravitas simply wasn't there, and any momentum he built in Act 1 was gone after intermission. 

Joe Locke's Tobas was stunningly sweet and beautifully sung. His moments with Sutton were just so lovely, their connection so strong, that even when they turned dark, I didn't want them to end.

Daniel Yearwood did nothing for me, his voice was a little too pop and otherwise kind of forgettable; I much more enjoyed Nathan Salstone when I saw previously. I had the Turpin understudy the first time, and he was...fine. But Jamie Jackson was deliciously disgusting, I could watch him forever. Daniel Torres was on a Pirelli and he was a delight the whole way through. Rest of the cast strong as always.

Alex Lacamoire wasn't at the baton, but whoever was I was digging tonight, the score was moving at a nice clip. I still hate so much of the busy direction and bizarre "choreography" that that Kail and Hoggett are leaning on to move the show along. Sorry, but John Doyle made Sweeney work better with 10 people and a unit set.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 2/23/24 at 10:36am

I just don't understand why Sweeney has to be cast as classically ruggedly hot.

We have SO few Character actor leading musicals.

We have so few main characters that are fringe society off the beaten path intriguing DIFFERENT from the homogenized leading man. 

I'm sure Aaron is good but that's not the point.

The interesting character musical theatre actor is dying.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 2/23/24 at 12:03pm

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "I just don't understand why Sweeney has to be cast as classically ruggedly hot.

We have SO few Character actor leading musicals.

We have so few main characters that are fringe society off the beaten path intriguing DIFFERENT from the homogenized leading man.

I'm sure Aaron is good but that's not the point.

The interesting character musical theatre actor is dying."

I can't think of anyone who I would classify as a classic character actor who sells tickets.  Sweeney Todd unfortunately needs stars to sell tickets IMO.

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 2/23/24 at 1:00pm

Jarethan said: "rattleNwoolypenguin said: "I just don't understand why Sweeney has to be cast as classically ruggedly hot.

We have SO few Character actor leading musicals.

We have so few main characters that are fringe society off the beaten path intriguing DIFFERENT from the homogenized leading man.

I'm sure Aaron is good but that's not the point.

The interesting character musical theatre actor is dying."

I can't think of anyone who I would classify as a classic character actor who sells tickets. Sweeney Todd unfortunately needs stars to sell tickets IMO."

Also, I think Tveit (who admittedly defines classically ruggedly hot) is the exception not the rule when it comes to Sweeneys, and he's only doing it for a few months, so no cause for alarm among the character actor community.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 2/23/24 at 1:33pm

‘Heartstopper’ Star Joe Locke on ‘Sweeney Todd’ Broadway Debut and Screaming at Kathryn Hahn While Filming Marvel’s ‘Agatha’ Series

https://variety.com/2024/legit/podcasts/heartstopper-joe-locke-sweeney-todd-marvel-agatha-wandavision-spinoff-1235917556/