Mrs. Lovetts

[PerforMeg]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 1:17pm

Who do people prefer-Angela or Patti?

I have recently revisited both the concert version and the Broadway version taped for TV and I MUCH prefer Angela Lansbury, mostly because Patti is so devious in the role. I think what make Mrs. Lovett so intriguing is that on the outside you see a sweet old lady who you would never think is capable of the horrible things she does. Patti also doesn't seem to be as enamored with Sweeney as Angela. I think the reason she does all the horrible stuff is for him-she is that infatuated. Patti is so independent-it just doesn't seem to fit.

That's just my opinion-but I'd like to know what other people think. I'll be interested to see if and how she changes for the revival.

[Jimmcf]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 1:23pm

Having seen the tapes of Angela and Patti, I prefer Elaine Paige, who I saw at City Opera in the role.

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 1:25pm

I prefer Patti though I don't love her Lovett either. Landsbury's was a little too broad for my tastes and I felt Patti's Lovett seemed a little too distracted so I haven't seen the perfect Lovett yet.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 1:41pm

I prefer Angela. She was funnier and better at the role.

[J.J.]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 2:08pm

I was completely unimpressed with Elaine.

[teh_pretty]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 2:11pm

Of Patti and Angela, I much prefer Angela. I thought I'd adore Patti, but I just didn't enjoy her performance. A lot of her lines seemed forced and it lacked naturality.

I liked Angela because she was kind of quirky. I do think she was brilliant in the role, but she wasn't everything I'd like to see in a Lovett.

I dunno. Guess I haven't seen the perfect Lovett either!

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 2:30pm

Angela all the way! Patti is talented, but there is something I don't like about her. I don't know what it is. But Angela will always be it for me.

[Johnnytoc]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 2:36pm

I really prefer Angela. She's just wonderful, in my opinion, and may be the best ever.

[Lamenting_Alto]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 2:37pm

definitely angela

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 2:41pm

Angela...definitely...will always be her role.
I saw the Lincoln Center concert live and on PBS, and I think Patti's interpretation is just different...like Beth Fowler, who was wonderful in the teenie todd revival.
She just needs to get the accent consistent. That is the only problem I had with her performance...she sang it beautifully...

I am more worried about Cerveris, but am waiting (w/ bated breath) to pass any judgements

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 3:04pm

My Lovett will always be Melinda Gilb, who performs the role all over the West Coast, to amazing ovations.

For me, she is superior to Angela and Patti by far.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 3:20pm

Angela. She IS Lovett.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 3:29pm

<---------- Dorothy Loudon was my favourite!!! I love Angela and I am very excited to see Patti do it in full regalia!

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 3:29pm

Yes, Angela will always be the definitive Lovett -- it's inconcievable that anyone could top her performance. She was the character, inside and out, so much so that when seeing others playing Lovett, I always hear her. That being said, LuPone did quite a good job creating a fresh interpretation, and I look forward to seeing how she does in this new production.

[lildogs]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 4:39pm

I'm excited to see Patti too, but I'll always hear Angela in my head.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 5:02pm

I'm a big Elaine Paige fan - but her Lovett just didn't do it for me...probably because they took all the tempos WAY to slow in that production - it sucked the life out of the show. I like Patti on the Concert DVD and loved Angela in the original production, so I don't really have a favorite - but would have loved to have seen Beth Fowler do it in an earlier production. And I'm sure Dorothy Louden was amazing.

[PerforMeg]

Posted: 9/2/05 at 5:31pm

doodlenyc-I agree with you, I was a bit concerned about Michael Ceveris as well.

Elaine Page as Mrs. Lovett? Wish that was on tape! Did anyone see Christine Baranski?

[loudasthehelliwant]

Posted: 9/2/05 at 6:00pm

Personally, I adored Angela. She seemed to fit in the role very, very well. I haven't seen Patti, though. Maybe I'll like her (I hope I do), but I doubt I'll like her as much as Angela.

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 9/2/05 at 6:01pm

I MUCH prefer Angela Lansbury out of ALL the Lovett's I've seen (Angela, Patti, Christine Baranski, and Elaine Paige)

Angela was a great singer, and incredible actress....I do wish she had belted more, though, but she was still incredible, and I too, will always think of her as Lovett.

Patti LuPone didn't sing the role very well in my opinion, everything was all one level, and TOO loud, and her acting while good in some moments seemed to be for the most part, all one level.

Christine Barankski was very funny, and a decent singer, but not in Angela's league.

Lastly, Elaine Paige was the worst -- the night I saw her, she could not remember her lyrics for crap, and she even made a BIG flub during "Worst Pies in London" and her acting could have been better in a lot of moments.

Cheers,
The Balladeer

[roquat]

Posted: 9/2/05 at 6:45pm

Christine Baranski was an impressive Lovett--she nailed every laugh in "A Little Priest"--but she couldn't seem to get any rapport going with a miscast Brian Stokes Mitchell as Sweeney.

Angela had the initial inspiration for Lovett (apparently with very little help from the director) and, like it or not, all subsequent Lovetts have borne traces of her interpretation--the same way that actresses who play Audrey in "Little Shop" can't completely escape Ellen Greene, and those who attempt Fanny Brice almost always succumb to Streisand-isms. I didn't find Patti LuPone even in the same ballpark as Angela--she never seemed real in the part, and her always-shaky diction was compounded by her laughable "Cockney" accent--whole stretches of song were completely unintelligible.

[theaterlover45]

Posted: 9/2/05 at 6:52pm

Angela!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 9/2/05 at 6:52pm

I think Angela Lansbury was Mrs.Lovett when she got on stage. She was so funny and yet so dark, when you see her transition between "The Worst Pies in London" and "A Little Priest" it is impressive, and you realize how vibrant is her performance. LuPone did not add anything to the role and I wished they had gotten Bernadette Peters to do Mrs.Lovett instead, maybe she'll do the movie. I didn't see Elaine Paige but I cannot imagine her in this role, the idea of that woman doing anything slightly funny is so weird to me.