Groban & Ashford in SWEENEY TODD On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 29

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 1:45pm

David Harbour said this weekend that Stranger Things season 5 starts shooting in June, so we'll have to see what that means with regard to Gaten's inevitable departure. 

[Dolly80]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 4:48pm

What accent is Groban using then? Everyone has an accent. British. American. ??? What is he using??

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 5:21pm

To me, It sounded similar to what you can hear Cerveris doing on the revival album. I saw it a week ago though, so maybe someone else can clarify better on his accent.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 6:53pm

There is no creative reason for this production to exist other than Annaleigh Ashford’s transcendent Mrs Lovett.
 

This production is otherwise literal, mimetic, and inoffensive. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 8:12pm

What makes it transcendent? Seems like she’s doing her usual schtick?

[kdogg36]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 9:07pm

Dolly80 said: "What accent is Groban using then? Everyone has an accent. British. American. ??? What is he using??"

You're right, of course, that everyone has an accent, but I think when we say that Len Cariou didn't have an accent for Sweeney, we mean that he used his own native accent.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 9:30pm

RippedMan said: "What makes it transcendent? Seems like she’s doing her usual schtick?"

She is doing her shtick, she has groupies.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 9:34pm

Comment deleted. 

Updated On: 3/6/23 at 09:34 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 9:41pm

Of course when one says a person is not "doing" an accent they mean what kdogg says. But the bizarrerie is in suggesting there is such a thing as an American or a British accent in the first place. It is hard to imagine that anyone is not aware that there is not a singular accent in either country and we have a ridiculously high number of very different accents, not just regionally but within the same state or even city. (Stephen Gabis ID'd 9 NJ accents when he was working on Jersey boys, and we all know that the 5 NYC boroughs have very different accents that are unmistakable but that occlude the many others that we hear any time we get on the subway. And then there is Mr. Cariou whose native accent hails from the western half of Canada (which is hard to distinguish from parallel parts of the US).

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 9:55pm

RippedMan said: "What makes it transcendent? Seems like she’s doing her usual schtick?"

...based on? On this board and others, there seems to be overwhelming praise for her performance -- especially notable given that many were skeptical of her casting, but ultimately won over. I'll freely admit I haven't seen the production, and I don't think you have either (my apologies if I'm wrong!), but reading everything so far, it doesn't seem she can be accused of "doing her usual schtick".

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 10:13pm

She's not. RippedMan likes to comment dozens of times in threads regarding shows he has not seen, knows nothing about, and insults people like Jordan Donica or Annaleigh because he's a failed actor. Nothing to see there. Trust. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 10:24pm

Yup. Based on what has been said on here. 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 10:40pm

No idea if RippedMan is a failed actor, or what Annaleigh is/isnt doing in Sweeney, but are you suggesting his comment that Donica doesnt "do it for him" is tantamount to "insulting" him? 

This board is a collection of the most dramatic people. 

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 10:49pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: "This board is a collection of the most dramatic people."

Welcome to the theatre 

[Alex M]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 11:15pm

RippedMan said: "Yup. Based on what has been said on here."

get a life

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/5/23 at 11:43pm

When someone says "a British accent," I very much doubt do they so with the intention to assert one accent is common to all who reside in Great Britain, but thanks for the lecture Professor.

[boonanas]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 7:48am

Saw this on Sunday's matinee.  It was good, not great.  I hate to say this, while he will definitely sell tickets during his run, Groban is the worst part about this.  He just doesn't look the part and can sing the big moments, but he's not angry enough in a lot of the parts it requires it.  Just the promo photo outside alone tells you how miscast he is.  Everyone else I thought, was great, even Mr. Fisher.  Also, there's not enough blood.  For a production like this, I expect BUCKETS. 

And yes, I'd like to echo that Annaleigh Ashford is amazing.  She uses the space incredibly effectively and to use a wrestling term, everyone "sells" her interaction/body checks very well. 

[BJR]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 7:58am

It's worth noting the original didn't use that much blood.

I imagine because in the years since, with plays by the likes of Martin McDonagh, folks have seen buckets of blood onstage. And so, they expect it here.

From experience, I can say the piece isn't built to have buckets, as locations change and characters move quickly. One of McDonagh's tricks in his bloodiest plays is to let the blood accumulate on the set and characters. That way it's one big hosing down of the set at the end of the night.

[inception]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 8:00am

There may be regional variations, but those variations are often only noticeable to people from those regions.  I did a bicycle tour in Chicago with a large group from the UK.  When I said I was from Canada, they all said, "But your accent sounds like you're American!"  I was like, " Not rilly, mAby Uh soun a bit Wes Coas, mAby a bit Culifornian,  buh wence Uh sA tha werd ABOOT evrywhen here wyll knuh Uh'm from CAnuduh, eh"

JasonC3 said: "When someone says "a British accent," I very much doubt do they so with the intention to assert one accent is common to all who reside in Great Britain, but thanks for the lecture Professor."

 

[boonanas]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 9:38am

BJR said: "It's worth noting the original didn't use that much blood.

I imagine because in the years since, with plays by the likes of Martin McDonagh, folks have seen buckets of blood onstage. And so, they expect it here.

From experience, I can say the piece isn't built to have buckets, as locations change and characters move quickly. One of McDonagh's tricks in his bloodiest plays is to let the blood accumulate on the set and characters. That way it's one big hosing down of the set at the end of the night."

This is fair, I guess I'm projecting too much of the Burton movie onto it.  I guess I would've liked to see a SPRAY of blood rather than the dripping (I imagine thats how it actually would look like?). 

[inception]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 9:45am

Imagine all the stagehands who would have to come out continually to clean up lest someone slip and fall.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 10:11am

This board is just the lowest of the low of personalities. 

[Alex M]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 10:13am

RippedMan said: "This board is just the lowest of the low of personalities."

and you're the king of them. take your crown !

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 10:15am

inception said: "There may be regional variations, but those variations are often only noticeable to people from those regions. I did a bicycle tour in Chicago with a large group from the UK. When I said I was from Canada, they all said, "But your accent sounds like you're American!" I was like, " Not rilly, mAby Uh soun a bit Wes Coas, mAby a bit Culifornian, buh wence Uh sA tha werd ABOOT evrywhen here wyll knuh Uh'm from CAnuduh, eh"

I'm not sure that is true. I agree Canada is tricky (btw, do u say ABOOT? I usually here ABOAT) but I do not think most North Americans lack an awareness of the significant differences between, at least, posh, cockney, yorkshire, scouse (since 1964), brummie (since Ozzy), and Scottish. That said, I don't think Sweeney demands a particular accent in American productions.

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/6/23 at 10:48am

Alex M said: "RippedMan said: "This board is just the lowest of the low of personalities."

and you're the king of them. take your crown !"

Thanks for being a fan!!