Groban & Ashford in SWEENEY TODD On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread — Page 4

I’m excited to see Mimi Lien’s stage design as well. Given what she did for Natasha Pierre I hope they go all out at the Lunt-Fontanne for this revival.

This is a very interesting cast across the board, this revival isn't kidding around! It's the kind of production that sounds very interesting from a cast and crew perspective.

Wouldve loved patrick page in this, but im very happy with this cast. Also crossing my fingers for a lavish and big set. Cant wait to hear the score with that large orchestra.

Praying they’ll all be playing on my date, bc i only got one shot at seeing this.

The Distinctive Baritone said: "Dan6 said: "Already have my tickets and am liking this cast, though I confess I’m a bit disappointed that the Patrick Page-as-Turpin rumors I saw on this site didn’t pan out."

Evidently both he and George Hearn were offered it. Page is busy with King Lear and Hearn I guess felt like he was too old. What happened to Matt Doyle as Anthony? Although that would have been THREE cast members from the recent Off-Broadway production, which would have been odd.

BTW I find it fascinating that so many Judge Turpins tend to be former Sweeneys. Jamie Jackson played the title role at the Gateway Playhouse a decade or so ago."

And Jackson was brilliant in the role! Not since Hearn have I seen a Sweeney who bled undeserving poor who has become self-aware of his lot in life. It added a whole other layer to a man who has lost his wife and daughter; a man who is a victim of the world at large.

I know there are hesitant people about this, and I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic, but I'm just so excited. Groban, I think, will bring a woundedness and humanity to the part that I'm not sure we've seen fully before, and will make the turn all the more terrifying. I think Ashford gets a lot of hate for some of her work and not enough love for some of her other work -- she did really touching stuff in Sunday. And just thinking of the "swing your razor wide, sweeney" at the beginning... with the full-throated company and the 26-piece orchestra... I'm swooning.

Valentina3 said: "g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "aliceripleyofficial said: "This casting overall, excluding Ruthie Ann Miles, seems to lack any edge."

There was a chance for some edge, very early on, but Thomas Kail won the race instead of me. I had a brilliant idea, if a little too charged for the current Broadway atmosphere (but then what isn't)..."

Lol, ever so cryptic!"

Maybe they wanted to do a gender flip with Ashford as Sweeney & Groban as Lovett?

Agreed that “gender flipped” is gimmick that would not make sense with this show, although Audra in the title role would be pretty cool. I don’t see how a man playing Mrs. Lovett could be anything but pure camp though.

Oh, I posted about it back in September, before the fuller casting announcement was made. You can read more about it here. I'm just glad Steve knew about the idea and liked it. (Granted, it took some convincing.)

As for my reaction to the current cast, I'm very excited to see what comes out of Gaten, and I'm glad they did sprinkle in some POC leads, however tokenistic the attention, but I largely consider this "old before it even opened the door."

Updated On: 12/19/22 at 01:42 PM

I saw on Patricia Phillips instagram that she has left Phantom and will be in Sweeney :)

Excited to see who else will be in this.

Also: is Alex Lac conducting? or just the Music Supervisor and handing the conducting duties off to someone else?

Updated On: 1/1/23 at 11:37 AM

What are people thinking the design and staging will be for this production? Will it be naturalistic or abstract? What is Kail's style normally?

Musicaldudepeter said: "What are people thinking the design and staging will be for this production? Will it be naturalistic or abstract? What is Kail's style normally?"

The set is being designed by the brilliant Mimi Lien, who is probably most famous for designing the set for Great Comet. I wouldn't be surprised if the show's design fell more on the metaphorical/immersive side of the spectrum than the realistic/representational side.

As for Tommy Kail, I'm not really sure what he'll end up doing with the material. I've always found it a little difficult to pin down his directorial style, particularly in his work with Lin-Manuel. In general, he strikes me as more of a traditionalist than someone like Rachel Chavkin, but I'll be very curious to see what he does with the material.