Michael Cerveris = SWEENEY TODD?????- Page 2

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 12:02am

No I didn't, but in Passion and Asassins, he didn't have any IMO. His voice is good, but I dunno, I never really liked him.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 12:18am

So there is going to be a real revival of Sweeney Todd and not just the one where the cast members are the orchestra??????

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 12:32am

That IS the revival of "Sweeney."

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 12:52am

Well...does he play the Clarinet well?????? Because that's what I thought that Sweeney had to play...........

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 1:02am

We've already been through this.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 1:06am

well, which one of us is on the right track??????

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 1:16am

I'm confused....what are you getting it? We've been through the "clarinet" discussion already. We know, you don't like the idea of this revival and don't think it's "real."

[Bal]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 2:06am

...Wow. I HATED him in Assassins. Liked him okay in Tommy, but after the horror that was him singing Sondheim?

No Sweeney. Nononono. Please.

[inishmore]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 2:11am

Horror singing Sondheim?
Honey, sondheim is practically his career so he can't be THAT bad at it, otherwise why has he done like 603968472 sondheim performances?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 2:14am

Well, inish, I think you and I know why

(hint hint - basement)

[Bal]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 2:15am

...I don't know.

But he didn't hold a candle to Victor Garber OR the amateur Booths I've seen.

Updated On: 4/6/05 at 02:15 AM

[inishmore]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 2:23am

Munk - I thought they said never to speak of it.


and Bal: that must be why he got so much aclaim and has the Tony on his corner bookshelf.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 2:24am

Victor must not have made THAT big an impression on you, you can't even spell his last name.

He's very similar to Garber on the original CD, but I thought his performance was undeniably solid and fantastic. You must just have bad taste

[feinstein9]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 7:20am

not everyone who gets a tony deserves it, you know. there's no way he should have won over raul. anyway, garber *was* much better, and actually got the accent right instead of sounding like a cartoon character. to the person that mentioned stokes at the kennedy center, why didn't you like him? i thought he was the perfect sweeney. he had the right voice, the right acting skills, and the right "look". i was very scared of him. i don't think michael has the right kind of voice, and i agree that he doesn't have much of a stage presence. i think he's just had enormous luck as far as his career is concerned. feel free to disagree because i know you will.

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 8:45am

'there's no way he should have won over raul.'

I disagree, as you expected . I think people tend to be bitter about Raul not winning the Tony because of his wonderful work in The Normal Heart. However, we mustn't forget that he wasn't nominated for that but for his portrayal as Philip Sallon in Taboo. And that portrayal didn't get the Tony and rightly so. I thought both Denis O'Hare's and Michael's performances were far more superior than Raul's in Taboo.

QM

Updated On: 4/6/05 at 08:45 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 9:33am

I like Cerveris, but I'm not convinced he's the best choice for the role. After seeing him as Carl-Magnus in Night Music, I do think his baritone range is powerful enough, but I'd rather have a larger, older, more menacing Sweeney. Sweeney has to be terrifying and larger-than-life. Personally, I'd rather they bring back George Hearn.

[robbiej]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:30am

Mister Matt,

When did you start taking drugs? Is this a new thing in your life?


GEORGE HEARN??? I mean...sure, he can still sing it. But how old was he when he was sent to Botany Bay? FIFTY???

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:41am

I know, I know. I think I double-dosed my Claritin-D. But Hearn really didn't look that much younger on the video than he does now. I really can't think of anyone else at the moment. It's a difficult role to cast.

[robbiej]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 10:43am

My goodness...the man is gonna have to wear a truss to get through the role!

But I do love a Claritin-D high!

[Bal]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:03am

I'm entitled to my opinion. I liked Mr. Cerveris better in other things, I just thought he was very wrong for John Wilkes Booth and since I haven't heard him in any other Sondheim, much less Sweeney (which I love) ...well, I'm hesitant, to say the least. I DID find Mr. Cerveris 'cartoony'. I didn't think he approached the role with the same sincerity that Mr. Garber did.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:21am

I didn't get to see Cerveris as Booth (I bought tickets but the production closed and they refunded me...a**holes...). But I have the CD and his Booth does sound a bit overwrought. However, this sort of quality might work well for Sweeney.

Is he gonna wear a wig again though? I'm not so sure about Sweeney being a skinhead...

[pooryorick]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:24am

I found everything about "Assassins" to be cartoony in Mantello's production. And I don't think it's one of Sondheim's best at all, but that's another thread for Sondheim fans to debate over. I think Cerveris will be fine if he does Sweeney Todd. Would rather have a legit stage actor than some stunt casting in the role, like Russell Crowe who is rumored for the film version.

[feinstein9]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 11:40am

i certainly agree that there needs to be a legit stage actor, but i would prefer one that actually has a baritone voice and more of a range. i would really hate for him to mess up sweeney the way he did my other favourite sondheim shows (passion @ the kennedy center, and assassins). pooryorick, i think you'd like assassins better if you saw/heard it with a different cast. it needs to be more subdued than mantello's production. i remember walking into the theatre and seeing t-shirts that said "everybody's got the right." i think that kind of summerizes that production, right there. also, i have to beg to differ (again) about raul. maybe it's my taboo-lovin that's blinding me, but i thought he was extroidanary in the role of philip. how can you agrue with the notes he hits in "freak" "petrified" and "sexual confusion"? of course, reaching difficult notes isn't the only criteria for a tony award, his actual acting was quite multi-layered. again, i am a taboo-freak, so you can take my opinion for what it's worth george hearn, if he is not *too* old, would be a fine choice. but since it's such a "revision" of the show, i suposse they should pick someone that we're not used to seeing play the role. no imediate names come to mind... perhaps mr. priest will have ideas for us, since he's all mr. sweeney.

[~Jer~]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 12:14pm

casting for the show is not done yet... a broadway actor friend of mine auditioned for it and he will be having his final callback in about a weeks time...dont jump to conclusions yet!

[Mythus]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 12:49pm

In defense of George Hearn - I think that if he wanted to do Sweeney, he could. I watched the DVD and the concert over the weekend with my girlfriend (and pretty much every day during the week, minus my girlfriend), and it was noted that George Hearn as Sweeney in the DVD looks like George Hearn as Sweeney in the concert. You have to remember that he wore that "haunted old man" makeup on the DVD, and didn't wear any makeup (stage makeup, anyway, to my knowledge) for the concert. So it's hard to argue that he looks too old for the part. Now, would he be up to playing Sweeney eight times a week? That's a different story.