Groban & Ashford in SWEENEY TODD On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread — Page 54

dramamama611 said: "I see people wearing masks every single day. It is no more taboo than when we were in the middle of it all."

I see more masks in NYC but locally I’ve seen one maybe once a month. No one’s wearing masks anymore.

With this design for the tote bag and mug, I'm drawing a blank on what the object at the bottom (between the birdcage and the pie) is. Does anyone have a guess?

Edit: I thought maybe it was the block for the gavel, but those items are spaced farther apart on the mug.

Updated On: 8/23/23 at 02:01 PM

Wayman_Wong said: "''Does anyone have a guess?''

It looks like a razor blade to me."

Maybe a modern-day one, but it would be too modern to fit with the other items in this design.

New social media ad with Jeanna as Lovett:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CwTJuf7hVAu/

Updated On: 8/24/23 at 07:58 PM

Tonight was a real treat. Having seen this production twice now with both Groban and Ashford, it was so fascinating to see two new performers take the stage.

Nicholas Christopher is a killer Sweeney (no pun intended). He evokes the menacing presence that was lacking with Groban. His “Epiphany” stopped the show cold. Jeanna De Waal’s Mrs. Lovett is much more subdued and controlled than Ashford’s Lovett. De Waal is less broad with the comedy, but is still very funny. She just doesn’t do as much mugging as Ashford did. Her voice is absolutely stunning.

The both had great chemistry and played well off each other. I would akin tonight’s performance to the experience I had seeing Donna Murphy go on for Bette in Hello, Dolly!… There’s still a great, albeit different, energy in the audience. You still get a solid production of a great show, just without the huge “star wattage”. In a way, this is refreshing. While it’s always fun to see big stars on Broadway, sometimes the show itself takes a backseat to the lead star.

I still have my plethora of issues with this production ranging from the borderline nonexistent direction to the bizarre choreography and finally to the abysmal sound design. However, it’s one of Sondheim’s greatest, so even an imperfect production is still enjoyable.

Anyways, all in all, a great night of theatre. Super glad I got the chance to see both of these insanely talented performers take the stage together!

As a general Broadway PSA, I want to note on this thread regarding BWW's "History of Sweeney Todd" piece that the tooth pulling sequence was not cut from the original Broadway production during previews. I can't say for sure if it stayed in for the entire Broadway run, but I definitely saw it when I saw the original production about two months after opening. I remember the physical comedy of it quite vividly, including Ken Jennings writhing in the chair. Pirelli's "Now signorini, signori" patter was the section of the contest that was cut in previews.

I also don't think the factory whistle was at the lip of the stage - I think it was in the wings somewhere with the strange machinery as a part of that staggering set, but I can't vouch for exactly where it was. It wasn't obvious, because after getting scared out of my wits by it, I tried to anticipate when it would go off next. As loud as it is on the cast recording, it's no comparison to intensity of it in the theatre.

History of Sweeney Todd

I was surprised at the amount of tickets available for yesterday’s matinee with Jeanna and Josh, considering only Annaleigh was out. They offered me $49 rear mezz rush at the box office, and also the orch seats for $99. Got an amazing center orchestra seat for that price. Is Annaleigh that big of a draw, or did people assume Josh may still be out with Covid?

I’ll be in town for Sep 8-9. From reading the last few pages, sounds like good seats are available for $99 directly from the box office the day of performance, is that right? Do they discount it right before showtime, or throughout the day?

They do sell $99 when the box office opens when both leads are in (you have to be in line before 10 am or 12 noon Sundays).

They also sell discounted orchestra for $149 (got one in Orch row O), normally $249. It seems like they have their own inventory.

Funny, but seeing a “normal”, schtick-free actress doing the same schtick-crazy track just points out how stupid the schtick is. The direction in this show is shameless on one hand and mashed potatoes on the other. And it really might be nice if we could understand all of Sondheim’s lyrics rather than fighting the bad performer diction and strange sound design.

I'm anxious for Annaleigh to get back so I can try their new rush tickets. I imagine when both stars are in they will be difficult to obtain.

>Very interesting, as Sondheim insinuates that both the tooth-pulling sequence and The Judge's Johanna were cut during previews after he and Wheeler noticed a "sag" in the plot. He writes about this decision in Finishing the Hat and makes it sound as if the decision to cut both happened simultaneously. It seems odd to have made the cut after the show was frozen.<

Sondheim's memory does get unreliable in some spots. The Judge's "Johanna" was cut very early in previews, I think perhaps even after the first preview. In an evening of shocks, the Judge whipping himself to an orgasm was perhaps a step too far. However, the tooth-pulling scene remained in. If you search, there is a YouTube video of the original Broadway production. Victor Garber was the first of the principals to leave the cast and he was replaced by Cris Groenendaal. Groenendaal is in this video (either as understudy or permanent replacement, opposite understudy/eventual Johanna replacement Betsy Joslyn), and the tooth-pulling scene is in, so it had to have been filmed sometime after opening. There is also a full audio of opening night, and the tooth-pulling scene is in.

Updated On: 8/29/23 at 05:40 AM