Groban & Ashford in SWEENEY TODD On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 44

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/9/23 at 11:12am

As much as I dislike this production, I can’t help but feel that Gaten is now the definitive Tobias. I will now always imagine him when I think of that role.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 4/9/23 at 11:13am

WOW! What an amazing show, what an amazing production.

We are going to have a real race for Best Revival. 

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 4/9/23 at 11:15am

I finally saw this yesterday and have to unfortunately agree with most of the negative reviews.I thought the case was mostly excellent and did their absolute best but were constantly undermined by horrible (or non-existent) direction. While Annaleigh does 'ham it up' a lot, I didn't really mind because I felt she was trying to at least add some life into the otherwise bland production. I thought it also helped to balance out Josh Groban's performance, which is more subdued. The two weak spots in the cast were Johanna and Anthony. They both sang beautifully but had no presence or chemistry.

My family had a really hard time understanding any of the lyrics, which we couldn't decide if that was due to bad sound or bad accents - I think it was probably a bit of both. There were times the orchestra was too quiet and other times they were loud enough but drowned out the vocals. I found there to be enough blood and it was some of the most realistic looking stage blood I have ever seen. The pacing in Act 1 was terrible but Act 2 does pick up significantly. 

The costumes were terrible - no one looked poor or dirty. The set was basically a giant open space with ugly props/furniture placed here and there. The lighting had some nice moments but was overall too bright and cheery. There is still no whistle used but that was the least of this production's problems.

I sat in Front Row Mezz on the far right and my entire group said the seats were great and only had a couple small moments where we missed an actor's face. 

[briansb]

Posted: 4/9/23 at 11:21am

Adding my (lengthy) 2 cents to the wildly divisive responses here: 

 

• Really loved the production overall. Despite others saying it was lifeless, I thought it was actually a nice blend of sultriness, darkness and campiness. 

 

• From mid-orchestra, I had absolutely 0 issues with sound. In fact, while I can't advise on what the effect like is from any other part of the theater, but from my seats the orchestra was super full and luscious. Especially key songs like the "Ballad of Sweeney Todd" it was entrancing to hear it in full effect versus the previous productions I had seen.

 

• Annaleigh Ashford was a fantastic Ms Lovett. My foremost judge for a Ms Lovett is "Worst Pies in London" (one of my favorite musical songs ever), and I thought she nailed it. No issues with diction other than on Poor Thing, but luckily I went on an Open Caption night and my partner who is unfamiliar with the musical said they just read along. I think I could have probably done without the spinning on the floor in Little Priest, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed her physicality; to me it added to her desperateness to just make Sweeney like her which was a different approach than some past productions. She is a less crazed, more rabbity version of Ms Lovett. 

 

• Josh Groban sounded amazing, and I thought he was a bit more dark than some of these reviews would lead on. Yes, definitely nowhere near the menacing nature of seeing this at Barrow Street with Norm Lewis, but I could at least see Groban's passion in the performance. Emphasized morose over menace. But his delivery of the songs was fantastic. 

 

• Gaten stood out the most of the rest of the ensemble, and "Not While I'm Around" was surely a highlight. However, I did actually have the most trouble with his sound of anybody (surprisingly because I went in thinking I wouldn't be able to understand a word of AA based off posts in this board). Jordan Fisher was serviceable; not bad by any means but not my favorite Anthony I've ever heard. Ruthie and Maria were good too but I'd say their performances stood out the least to me. 

 

• Lighting design was some of the best I've seen on Broadway. Amazing lighting, and definitely elevated the otherwise fairly simple set (which I thought served its purpose well enough; I can't really imagine the show with an elaborate set anyways). Costume design on the other hand was... forgettable. 

 

• All technical aspects went smooth when I saw it. The barber chair/blood was working as expected, and the ending throwing Ms Lovett in the oven also was smooth. However the moments after that (Tobias with the dead bodies) felt a little off and awkward to me. Again, this could be because I was having a lot of trouble hearing Gaten.

 

• Finally, I actually really enjoyed the choreography. The manic nature of it especially in "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" was fitting and I thought elevated it beyond the sometimes stoic delivery of the songs in previous productions. The only time I actually didn't like the choreo was when Anthony is rescuing Johanna from the asylum; looked out of place to me.

 

• Overall, I had a fantastic evening. I think newcomers to Sweeney Todd will especially love this show. As someone very familiar with the show, I still loved it despite how different tonally it was from past productions. 

Updated On: 4/9/23 at 11:21 AM

[Piparoo]

Posted: 4/9/23 at 11:32am

Anyone think the sound issues are related to the noisy HVAC? We sat in front row mezz and, while the sound had a lot of variance - some parts were pretty quiet and some were fine, I did notice how noticeably loud the HVAC was from the mezz. We saw three other shows in Broadway theatres that weekend and I think the Lunt-Fontanne was the loudest of the bunch.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 4/9/23 at 11:50am

BETTY22 said: "WOW! What an amazing show, what an amazing production.

We are going to have a real race for Best Revival."

Nope

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 4/9/23 at 12:26pm

Piparoo said: "Anyone think the sound issues are related to the noisy HVAC? We sat in front row mezz and, while the sound had a lot of variance - some parts were pretty quiet and some were fine, I did notice how noticeably loud the HVAC was from the mezz. We saw three other shows in Broadway theatres that weekend and I think the Lunt-Fontanne was the loudest of the bunch."

I did notice the sound of the HVAC but isn't it the sound designer's job to adjust the levels to compensate for something like that?

[bandit964]

Posted: 4/9/23 at 10:41pm

Was anyone at this afternoon's performance and notice a set piece malfunction? 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Did the box delivering Sweeney's new chair at the top of Act II break?  It seems like the wire broke off the crane when lifting the box off of the chair once the chair was set in place.

 

 

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/10/23 at 12:13am

bandit964 said: "Was anyone at this afternoon's performance and notice a set piece malfunction?

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Did the box delivering Sweeney's new chair at the top of Act II break? It seems like the wire broke off the crane when lifting the box off of the chair once the chair was set in place.

I was there and it definitely appeared like that's what happened, although it took a few seconds to realize it was a malfunction until we saw Todd and Lovett singing to a chair half out of the box.

I had a good time at today's performance. Groban does a magnificent job showing a descent into madness and you really feel for him by the end when he realizes who the Beggar Woman was and the cost of his break into insanity. Annaleigh Ashford, as recounted numerous times, is the real show-stealer here. Her Lovett is a frisky little sexpot and nails every single joke and lyric, even with just the subtlest of vocal changes or movements. I honestly see her head-to-head with Clark for the Tony.

The rest of the cast ranged from good to perplexing. At times, it felt like a game of "Wheel of European Accents" since I heard Cockney, Scottish, Irish, French, Italian, and also just plain American (*cough* Jordan Fisher *cough*). Gaten Matarazzo definitely also has Tony potential, especially selling the ending where Tobias himself has gone mad. I will say, despite having previous experience with the role, I never got into Jamie Jackson's Turpin - he never felt truly threatening to me, more creepy than anything else. It made me long for someone like a Patrick Page in the role. 

Overall, I recommend. Like someone said, it's a great entry into the Sweeney oeuvre.

STAGE DOOR: Despite starting BCEFA collections today, they are still SDing. Groban, Fisher, Matarazzo, Miles, Jonathan Christopher, and some of the other ensemble came out. Maria Bilbao came out as well, but only ended up getting half the line. It's a highly organized process and everyone got what they desired - with the cast being so nice.

 

 

[kwoc91]

Posted: 4/10/23 at 9:43am

I personally loved every minute of this production and can't wait to go back (once I save my pennies, because ouch those prices)!

I'd just like to give a shout out to the ensemble - they've got to be the most vocally impressive ensemble I've heard in quite a while. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/10/23 at 11:19am

@kwoc91

Depending on where you are/planning to come back, shows later in the run (think August on) are pretty empty so far so you can get those $49 rear mezz tickets (which aren't that bad) or $99 rear orchestra ($59/$110 with fees respectively)

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 4/10/23 at 12:01pm

I hate to say it but I found last Thursday's performance to be very lackluster. I don't see what all of the hype is about. I was disappointed in nearly everything -- the direction, the performances, the design...it was bland and uninteresting.

All the actors are pushing and don't seem to trust the material. It's getting them nowhere. Annaleigh was desperate for laughs to the point where I felt embarrassed for her. Groban has a great voice but could not be less threatening and his performance lacks depth. The lovers brought nothing to their roles and seemed lost. Matarazzo was fine but doing his same schtick. 

The design felt cheap. Natasha must have passed this one off to an intern because the lighting did not suggest mood or place. I was pretty saddened to see how heavily she relied on spotlights. The stage itself felt empty and unused. I couldn't believe a Mimi Lien set was this boring.

Lastly, the direction was just missing. Characters would wander the empty stage during their songs with no apparent motivation for doing so. It looked like they were filling space. I've never been impressed with Thomas Kail and found his last musical to be really bad. I think he's sailed on Miranda's brilliance because when Miranda isn't at his side you see Kail's talent for what it really is. The choreography could have all been cut. It was distracting and a bit foolish which was sad because I've loved Hoggert's work on other shows such as "American Idiot" and "Black Watch".

In the opening number, someone dropped a line. It was obvious and audience members around me noticed. The person sitting next to me went "OOF". That set the tone for the whole evening and I wish I could say it got better from there but it never did.

Sorry to be such a bummer but I thought folks may want to know that not everyone is raving about this. If you can only see one show, make it "Kimberly Akimbo" and skip this.

[binau]

Posted: 4/10/23 at 12:11pm

theatregoer3 have you read the earlier pages of this thread? I would actually suggest most of your comments are consistent with the comments on this board (except that Gaten, Groban for many and especially Ashford had better feedback). Which is why it was such a surprise when the show seemed to get rave reviews (and especially that NYTimes critics pick - after the Company slamming?? And apparently the COMPANY set was bad??? sureeeee). I agree with a lot of what you said, though I still managed to enjoy myself and Groban's vocals were the x-factor for me. 

If this wins best revival over Parade I would be SHOCKED. 

 

[Pashacar]

Posted: 4/10/23 at 2:31pm

theatregoer3 said: "All the actors are pushing and don't seem to trust the material."

I really appreciate this observation, and I think it's both a good encapsulation of what's wrong with this production and a sign of weak direction.

In the opening number, someone dropped a line. It was obvious and audience members around me noticed. The person sitting next to me went "OOF". That set the tone for the whole evening and I wish I could say it got better from there but it never did."

That's pretty wild. Rare to see that in any Broadway show, let alone one this high-profile, this fresh off of opening, or this central to the canon. Certainly feels emblematic of how slipshod the whole outing feels.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 4/10/23 at 2:57pm

I’m amazed if anyone finds this production more than adequate.

It’s so badly directed- there’s no vision in any department (except the movement)

Josh Groban is just Josh Groban. Annaleigh just does what she does - and mangles the accent. She gets some laughs - that’s about it.

Ruthie Miles is Scottish one minute - American the next. It’s all just so lazy.

There’s no way this is winning any Tony awards.

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 4/10/23 at 3:16pm

I guess I've only seen positive reviews and I'm glad to see that others on this board feel the same way. It really bummed me out to leave a production of Sweeney feeling so disappointed. It's also interesting because all of my friends really want to go see this -- there's strong word of mouth on this one.

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 4/10/23 at 3:56pm

I saw in the BCEFA thread that the show is now participating. Did anyone catch the pricing? I’m going this weekend and I’d like to be prepared. 

[MiserablyWicked1]

Posted: 4/11/23 at 4:11pm

I had seen the original back in 1979 Summer, 2001 SF Symphony Concert with Lupone/Hearn and 2005 Broadway Revival.

I saw the show 4/1 Evening. Sat in Mid Mezz C 117 (in line with stairs so that was good for viewing) but would not sit higher than Row C.

I really liked the production. The Musicality of Groban and Ashford makes the score so lush and melodic.

the only number that was hard to decipher was Ashford on God that's Good. Thought volume and punctuation was fine.

It does lack a little on the sinister and evil but was passable. Ashford gets most of the love and laughs.

The supporting cast is strong. I will go back and see this in the fall.

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 4/11/23 at 5:39pm

quizking101 said: "Her Lovett is a frisky little sexpot and nails every single joke and lyric..”

 

I think this is my whole issue with Ashford’s Lovett. Ashford is very good at what she does, but I just don’t think it’s right. She never once comes across as a woman “with limited wind.” In one scene she sings about how her “bones is weary” and the next she doing leg extensions over Sweeney. She’s getting laughs, but at what cost? I think it’s at the expense of the text. Lovett, to me, needs to feel like a woman who has seen some sh*t. Ashord seems like a woman on her way to Anthropologie after Pilates class. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/11/23 at 5:49pm

Ashford is so woefully miscast and so poorly directed I honestly feel gaslit by the reviews. 

[bear88]

Posted: 4/11/23 at 7:31pm

TheQuibbler said: "quizking101 said: "Her Lovett is a frisky little sexpot and nails every single joke and lyric..”


I think this is my whole issue with Ashford’s Lovett. Ashford is very good at what she does, but I just don’t think it’s right.She never once comes across as a woman “with limited wind.” In one scene she sings about how her “bones is weary” and the next she doing leg extensions over Sweeney. She’s getting laughs, but at what cost? I think it’s at the expense of the text. Lovett, to me, needs to feel like a woman who has seen some sh*t. Ashord seems like a woman on her way to Anthropologie after Pilates class."

 

This is one reason why I was glad to read this thread before I saw the show. Director Thomas Kail has a strange mistrust in the material and he's trying to make the audience laugh even if it's at the expense of the story. I could enjoy the show once I realized that was the goal, and I didn't blame Annaleigh Ashford for camping it up - because Kail could have told her to tone it down and, for example, told the orchestra to keep playing "A Little Priest" instead of stopping for an extended period of time.

So I enjoyed Ashford for the things she did well and didn't worry as much that it wasn't going to be the Sweeney Todd I hoped it could be, given the resources and talent at Kail's disposal. It still bothered me at times, though, because a big-budget revival of this show is only going to come along so often. But who is to say Kail is wrong from a commercial perspective? The revival, thus far, is a big hit. It's an entertaining revival of a great musical, but that's all. There are some terrific performances in it, and Josh Groban sings the score wonderfully and clearly.

If there's one thought I came out of the Sweeney Todd revival with, it's that Hal Prince directed the hell of the original show. 

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 4/11/23 at 10:35pm

I feel compelled to make some sort of response to the general tenor of this thread in contrast to my very different feelings about the revival. Please move past this post if you don’t want to read my ramblings, and don’t berate me for taking up too much space. That’s what a scrolling thumb is for!  Good evening:
 

This has all gotten pretty ridiculous. A show with glowing reviews and sold out performances is getting trounced on by an insider group of social media posters who turned negative early in previews and made up their minds that their ST was being mishandled and would be properly dismissed upon its opening. That it’s become the biggest hit of the season has seemingly brought out the worst in every MFA certain that they alone have a grasp of Sweeney Todd and what it should be. There’s even a guy who thinks he’s reinvented it and his vision is being squelched by people who simply won’t listen. I advise him to get hooked on Assassins as I’m sure he’ll relate to many of the characters.

Well kids, here I am, your worst nightmare. Many of you got hooked by theater during the past several years and have had that head shaking life changing show that turned an interest into a passion. So did I. Many years ago my life changed when I attended the first post opening Saturday night performance of Sweeney Todd following its previous Sunday opening.

In those days a full page ad of a show that received rave reviews appeared two days after opening night in the NYT. And Sweeney needed those reviews. It played to 50% capacity during previews and 20% of those walked out after intermission. 

I saw the show at least 20 times from every part of the then Uris theater. This epic preamble is by way of responding to the many negative posts above, and contrasting the original production that’s been branded on my brain for decades with what I - given the reports here - walked into last Saturday night with great trepidation. Fortunately I was quickly won over and had a mostly ecstatic evening that was matched by an audience on their feet cheering before the first ensemble members appeared for their curtain call.

As there are so many perturbing posts here, I will respond numerically to what I have read versus what I actually saw and heard:

1. Unless fmezz 101-102 are magical seats, the much maligned sound design was perfect for me. Every instrument was both distinct and at a proper natural volume that approximated the acoustic unamplified sound of a classic chamber orchestra. By the way, this horrible first row railing that seems to render some attendees view completely obstructed not only had no negative impact on me, but also none on the two 8 year old boys a couple seats down from me.

2. Sweeney Todd is not Moulin Rouge or Wicked, tenant by the way of the theater where ST originally played. The sound design with those was created to most resemble wearing earbuds at full volume. There’s a very simple reason why ST can’t do that. The minute you mix the orchestra above a naturalistic level, Joanna’s voice on Green Finch and Linnet Bird would have to be amplified to a degree that would make the lyric soprano’s voice gratingly unlistenable. And this applies to many of the cast and their voices and the intimacy of their material.

3. Josh Groban is not an accomplished actor. He is also not an amateur. His vocal accomplishment with the role is unmatched by anyone I have seen in the role, and that is where his talent triumphs. Len Cariou was absolutely genius in the role, and to this day my favorite. But his voice always became tight and strained in its upper range and by the middle of the run his voice was shredded by the vocal demands and screaming through Epiphany!  George Hearn followed him with a ham fisted portrayal and a voice with a wobble you could drive a train through. He always reminded me of Bert Lahr’s cowardly lion. The opera singers I have seen in various productions over sing the role, and are often saddled with short rehearsal periods and stilted direction.

4. Mrs. Lovett. Angela Lansbury mugged with the best of them, as attested by her original reviews. Annaleigh  Ashford  basically gives the same kind of performance, amped up a bit. Yes there’s more physicality, but none of it interferes with the pacing of her scenes or songs. And everything she does is verified in the text. There isn’t any coming out of nowhere schtick.

5. Sound again. While it may come as a surprise, ST was more difficult to hear at the Uris than the new one is at the Lunt Fontaine. I remember the first time I saw the original from the middle of the mezzanine. You could hear the laughter and applause coming from downstairs while everyone in the rear mezz were sitting on their hands. It was eerie and seemingly a metaphor for the whole show.

6. Design and direction. While impressive that Eugene Lee transported an iron foundry to NYC and ripped the proscenium off the Uris stage, there was a catch. While fascinating to look at as you entered the theater, when the lights went down all you had was a square spinning pie shop, a ladder and a bridge. Period. And while Hal Prince did a great job with pacing and transitions, his insistence on shoving constant metaphors about the Industrial Revolution and its dehumanizing outcomes became largely irrelevant. Why? Because Stephen Sondheim absorbed and reinterpreted everybody’s ideas during the writing process. Everything that Prince chose to dramatize was already taken care of in the libretto and score. That’s why no factory whistle now. Redundant.

So that’s where I stand. Having seen the original many times, all the revivals and many regional and opera productions, this is the one that comes closest to my experience in 1979 when I was a very young and very impressionable theatergoer. And lastly, for everyone claiming they can’t hear what people are saying from the stage, take Sondheim’s advice. Listen.
 

Oh, and for everyone saying that this Mrs. Lovett is vulgar and much too much, she wasn’t nearly as wild eyed and tremulous of voice as Dorothy Louden, and more importantly, doesn’t  play the tuba.

 

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/11/23 at 11:15pm

I will not tolerate a single word against Patti LuPone or her tuba.

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 4/11/23 at 11:21pm

It was a cheap trick. It wasn’t the fault of the tuba or the performer. Blame the director. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/11/23 at 11:27pm

GoSmileLaughCryClap said: "It was a cheap trick. It wasn’t the fault of the tuba or the performer. Blame the director."

And I feel the same about sliding down half a fight of stairs.