Question About TOBY in SWEENEY

I've only recently read that TOBY in the PLAY is not a boy as young as he is in the movie. So, how old is he? How does the character differ?
I've seen the movie a dozen times now, and I'm seeing the play in September.
Let me know any other differences you can think of. I'm not expecting an exact replica (by any means), but I'm curious in how the play and movie differ in your opinion. Someone has told me that the play has a more comedic tone. True?

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I personally prefer Toby being a little boy. He's supposed to be a teenager (isn't he?) in the actual musical

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I'm not sure it matters nor has it ever been specified.

for the revival he came off a bit older, but the revival also had the musical being performed in an insane asylum by the patients... so who knows

I thought the Johanna reprise where Sweeney is killing everybody was hilarious. i mean he's singing this gorgeous, and lyrically beautiful song while slitting men's throats. good times.

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Alot of people in the movie theatre when I saw it laughed at Pierelli.

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I always thought Jennings was more just "Innocent/Naïve" than "Mentally Challenged."

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On stage, it is really powerful and cool to see a 20-something man playing a young boy. It's an acting challenge and allows for nice interpretation.

On screen, obviously, that can't happen.

On stage, the part isn't as realistic, but it is much more powerful (in my opinion), because the actor playing Toby is much more mature.

It played the O'Neill on West 49th the autumn of 2005. There's a tour happening now, actualy. The revival in question was VERY minimalistic, but it amounted to brilliance. The End.

Chason.

the cast were supposed to be patients, along with Toby, and they were acting out this story in HIS mind.

it was supposed to be all imagination.

it makes sense... but it's somewhat easy to miss if you don't catch it.

In the extras on the DVD, Burton says that he wanted to create a modern version of the old horror films. In that respect, I can appreciate the film, but I think it perverts the piece. One of the things that I like about the original stage version is that it was more colorful in design and seemed a maniac cartoon. This made the "horror" aspects easier to accept. Lansbury with the make up and costume was certainly more in the comic mode.

(For those who say that the DVD of the stage was exagerated, they forger that it was taped during actual performances in a theater so the actions were enlarged for the theater audience, not made subtle for a film.)

It really bothers me that Toby is a child in the film as it makes using him as Lovett and Todd do a form of child abuse.
I know children were treated horribly in those days, but we really don't need to see a child as a throat slashing murderer. While still really disturbing, it is easier to accept a mentally challenged Toby imitating what he has seen.

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