Other SWEENEY movie cast members - LET THE SPECULATION BEGIN — Page 10

whether or not HBC auditions for roles i think she would make a wonderful beggar woman. I think what could work and would be cool is to sort of start it like the doyle production where they have an older Toby in an insane asylum and they could use that to sing the ballad of sweeney todd (having the organ for the credits) and then they can release him from the straight jacket, let him sing as if he is telling the story. Then they can have a kid play toby in the acutal story. I just think if its done like i think it could be itd be awsome. And im all for a star name for the Judge. I like the idea of Christopher Lee. And i really would love cyndi lauper for lovett.

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I want to elaborate on my idea. Try to visuilize the following.

The credits are shown as the overture plays. The tittle Sweeney Todd drips down in red. Then a little spec of light is shown and its the tiny window of toby's cell. Then from the darkness the door is opened and a person walks in. They let toby out of a straight jacket and sit down across from him at a table. Toby begins to sing the ballad as a solo (like mano did in the doyle production). And as he sings about what sweeney did there can be flashes of all his victims and show toby as a little boy witnessing them.

I think itd be amazing.

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Very interesting Theatreboy. I had a similar idea. When I saw the Doyle interpretation I thought it had a great concept that would translate to film well. Only the only actor I would have playing an instrument would be Toby. This is how I envisioned the opening scene.

Only mine opened with a shot of a sign for "Bedlam Asylum" with the date underneath and the camera pans backward showing the entire building. Then you see a member of Scotland Yard walking up the path toward the building and inside...down a long white hall carrying a black case.

He hands the case to a man in a white lab coat who brings it into a small room where there are a number of doctors sitting at a long table. The man places the black case on the table and slowly opens it, extracting a violin. He slowly walks it over to the other side of the room where Toby is sitting in a straight jacket. A nurse comes in and undoes the jacket. The doctor holds out the violin and Toby just stares at it for a second then slowly reaches out and takes it from him. The doctor sits down at the table while Toby trembles a little as he places the violin on his shoulder as he softly plays the melody to "Not While I'm Around." An image of Mrs. Lovett being pushed into the oven flashes briefly and Toby shudders and stops playing.

The nurse places her hand on Toby's shoulder and gives him a comforting smile. He looks up at her briefly and lifts his violin again. He begins to play "Attend the Tale..." as the camera pans past him through the back wall of the room which fades into London a few months ago.

That's all I got so far. I thought it was a pretty good idea.

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Updated On: 8/18/06 at 03:36 PM

Yea, I know.

This is more my idea if Doyle's concept were to be adapted for the screen. Only Toby would be the only one playing an instrument.

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I know Johnny Depp saw the current Broadway production. Has Tim Burton? I doubt he would use anybody from the John Doyle production in leading roles, but I suppose there is always a possibility they could score some small roles somewhere if he loved the production.

Hey Stiletto, get a life.

I never said "this is how the film should be."

I clearly said this is how I envisioned the opening scene to be if the Doyle concept were translated to film.

Learn. to. read.

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No, the recent film of THE PRODUCERS was a stage show on screen.

Doyle's concept of the asylum at the beginning of the stage show would work PERFECTLY on film. The actors playing the instruments would not.

The only actor I would want playing an instrument in the movie would be Toby. His violin would almost be like his teddy bear (or his crutch, if you will). We don't know where he got it, but he clings to it. He plays it while he sings "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir" while dancing around the street, which would make perfect sense since it would add music to his jingle and would create a spectacle...drawing people to him and, thus, business for Pirelli.

He uses the violin to help express his emotions which is why he could use it during "Not While I'm Around" which would also make sense because it could be a legitimate tune he sings to Lovett and he uses his violin to show her how hard he's worked on it, this showing her how much he loves her.

It would work. Plus the violin would give Toby reasoning for his singing. Movie audiences don't respond to people just breaking out in song...there needs to be a REASON. Hence why CHICAGO worked and RENT, PHANTOM, and THE PRODUCERS didn't (among other reasons).

I don't see how my idea doesn't work.

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Updated On: 8/18/06 at 04:59 PM

Lovey, if you're putting a musical onto the screen...then there have to be SONGS. "Not While I'm Around" is, IMO, a crucial song to the plot. They're not just going to cut all of Toby's numbers sweetie.

Let's not forget this is the MUSICAL being made into a movie. Not all the songs will be turned into dialogue. And when it comes to singing in a movie, at least a serious one, a movie audience demands a reason for it. We aren't back in the day where Broadway was considered as big, if not a bigger, form of entertainment as film. Audiences won't just be like: "Oh, they're singing, how wonderful." If characters just break out in song, they ask themselves "Why?"

If they use Toby's songs in this film. The violin provides a perfect excuse for him to sing and his attachment to the violin shows the audience that he's a disturbed child with an emotional crutch. Plain and simple.

If you can't see how it wouldn't work, that's not my problem. It wouldn't work. There isn't any question about it. Film is for a film audience no matter how many theatre buffs go to see it, and that's a limitation that MUST be understood in order to make this film.

I don't know if you got the memo...but you're not the queen of all that is film. Don't state your opinion as fact. It's an opinion and only that. When I put forth an idea I say "This is why I THINK it will work" not "This is why it WILL work."

So don't dismiss me as if you're far superior. Your conceit only aids in worsening your image.

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Also, I could give less of a **** about my image. This isn't a popularity contest, baby.

I would like to see patti as Mmiss Lovet, but, to me, it is hard to imagine her n a movie. She has amazing stage presence, but movie, not sure.

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if you give Toby a violin, it's just a prop and a character adjustment, and it gives context to ONLY Toby- even if you were framing it around Toby, and he's a street singer, then why the hell are Todd, Lovett and everyone else singing?

Your 'instrument justifies singing' makes absolutely no sense because everyone's singing has to be justified, and they can't all have instruments, or else you have exactly what I said before: play on screen.

Todd and the Beggar Woman's justification are that they're both incredibly mad. Lovett's justification for singing would be to either "play along with" Todd (as in "These Are My Friends" or "A Little Priest") or, again, it could play into Todd hearing music that's not really happening (as in "Worst Pies in London," "God That's Good," or "By The Sea.")

My point is everyone needs a justification and my idea would be that the violin is Toby's. Everyone else's justification is pretty much built in as I said above.

That's all I'm really getting at.

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There's some clips of Anne Hathaway singing here (including a portion of Kiss Me) for anyone who was interested.

http://www.annie-hathaway.com/download.php

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"Okay, Kristin Chenoweth would make make my heart smile as Johanna, but I dunno if it'll happen."

Though she could certainly sing the role, Kristin Chenoweth is FAR too old to play Johanna. Johnana is sixteen, and Kristin is in her thirties.

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