Groban & Ashford in SWEENEY TODD On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread — Page 65

Today’s performance concluded with a pair of speeches from the two departing leads. Would love to hear some reports!

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What a lovefest! Audience was loud and applauded often, even for the cast that is remaining, but it felt respectful and didn't stop the flow much. Having seen the first preview and several performances before today, the slapstick today was in another sphere. Go with the flow, Sondheim still shines. Marconi is no "sweet child," and Yearwood is no "young sailor." I missed those who originated the roles in this production. I also missed Gaten's sweet interaction with the Beggar Woman.

Ashford and Groban really lost it at "privates." Crowd ate it all up. Great show, felt more like a closing than just the two leads leaving.

I was there tonight (TDF Row N Orch, extreme left but fine view) and was pleasantly surprised to find a full house of roaring excited patrons. IT seems the show is at least for now selling well on weekends even without "names"

Nicholas Christopher sings his face off and plays Sweeney sort of dead-eyed the way Groban did. It works, though I was hoping for more coloring outside the lines. Len Cariou had a certain charm to him that helped sell his demented behavior. Michael Cerveris was pure creepiness, Josh Groban was a solid attempt at depression. I still would like to see a more affable, seductive Sweeney but Im nitpicking. Christopher is great.

So is de Waal, though she is very much trapped trying to be Annaleigh Ashford at times and whenever that happens, she falters. Her singing is outstanding and her take is less dizzying/ditzy, which I appreciated. Id love to see her originate this role without Ashford hanging over her. But again, shes great.

Without the opening month buzz with Groban and Ashford the show drags here and there, but that actually made me appreciate the staging/direction a bit more, because when it clicks (the last 10 minutes, the opening of Act 2, the whole Pirelli sequence) it really clicks. Raymond J Lee is great as Pirelli, though I did miss Christopher a bit. Daniel Yearwood has gotten much better since I saw him last, and Ruthie Ann Miles is still giving 1000% and stealing every moment she can.

Some drama in the audience tonight- could not really tell what was going on but someone was yelling a bit during Poor Things, and then there was a sea of ushers/house managers and at least one NYPD officer, rushing up and down the aisle. It was very distracting, but certainly seemed like they were trying to deal with a problematic audience member, who was eventually dragged out (literally dragged up the aisle, whining) by the House staff. Again it wasnt clear to me exactly what was going on, or who she was sitting with, but that front left orchestra burst into applause as she was being dragged out, causing Rapson and Jamie Jackson (still so excellent, both of them) to pause, confused, and start up again. Just reinforces my belief in the death penalty for disruptive audience members.

Piccolo, your assessment on the actors aligns with mine almost perfectly (I saw the show Thursday night). This is the first in person production of Sweeney I've seen, which I first watched with Groban and Ashford (I liked Ashford more than most but Groban left me a bit cold). I think Christopher added a dimension to Sweeney that I was missing with Groban and he was able to do more with the songs in terms of showing Sweeney's inner thoughts/struggles. de Waal plays the same blocking as Ashford, but where it felt naturally ingrained into Ashford's physicality and characterization, it felt a little more consciously done for de Waal, so I agree she felt a little "trapped" in moments. Though she has a much more toned down accent which made it better for hearing the lyrics and her Lovett is maybe less overtly horny/slightly more scared of Sweeney, though still fairy desperate for attention.

Raymond J. Lee was easily a standout of the supporting cast (and an audience favorite too by the sounds of it), and Daniel Yearwood was much better than my impression of him before, especially in the second act. Maria Bilbao hadn't really made a huge impression on me before, but there just seemed to be an extra dimension to her this time and I'm not sure if I just didn't notice it before or if she has actually settled into the character more. Daniel Marconi was fine as Tobias but seemed to be missing a little bit of the spark that Gaten Mattarazzo had when he was playing the role.

Based on audience reaction, it seems like a lot of people weren't familiar with Sweeney--a lot of gasps and quiet horror when certain things were revealed (a girl behind me in the bathroom line at intermission was talking about how creepy it was for them to talk about baking people into pies and sounded a bit affronted, which I found amusing). But the audience energy seemed pretty high and the response enthusiastic.

Well that was a thrilling afternoon of theatre. Nicholas Christopher was absolutely stunning as Sweeney Todd. Delaney Westfall was wonderful as Lovett ( not sure I liked some of the hamming ) but she sang it beautifully. I must say the last 30 minutes was so exciting edge of seat stuff. The final where they disappeared was brilliantly done.
So glad I saw it, I had no interest when the two main leads were in.
Also insanely excited audience today.

How is Milan from RuPaul's Drag Race doing?

Musicaldudepeter said: "How is Milan from RuPaul's Drag Race doing?"

Dwayne Cooper is an ensemble swing, and was on Drag Race 12 years ago at this point. I’m not sure what you’re expecting. They’re still in the show, so I’m going to guess they’re doing just fine.

Updated On: 1/28/24 at 09:21 AM

pmondrian said: "de Waal was very good. Her "By the Sea" song stacks up against any version (even Angela Lansbury's version). I hope both of them will be able to be the permanent lead once the "new stars" have to leave. I'm not a fan of Sutton's so I'm glad I was able to see de Waal in the show."

Does de Waal do all of the goofy stuff Ashford was doing? Like the split down the stairs and the 'COO COO' in 'By the Sea'?

I saw De Waal when she and Nicholas Christopher covered for Ashford and Groban when they were both out in the fall at one point. I thought they were both tremendous. Nicholas Christopher brings not only the big voice to the role, but also the "scariness factor" that Groban lacked. De Waal's Lovett, while still cooky and slightly inane, was nowhere near as hammy and over the top as Ashford was. Honestly, I preferred the performances from Christopher and De Waal to those of the two big headliners. They don't have the same star power, obviously, but I thought their performances worked much better with the material. Looking forward to seeing Tveit and Foster albeit some minor reservations I have about them stepping in...

Who here saw Joe Locke’s Broadway debut as Toby this afternoon?

I agree, I thought he did a great job as Toby! I had no idea it was his first performance this afternoon until I saw it here. But it explains all the photographers who rushed down the aisle during the curtain call. I thought there might be a speech or something to explain why they were there since I hadn't seen that at a show before