SWEENEY TODD (2023) Reviews- Page 2

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 9:29pm

These reviews are pretty damned stellar! Where is that Bad Cinderella troll hiding?

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 9:31pm

Theatermania is a rave:

Review: Sweeney Todd Stars Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford as a Match Made in Hell

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-sweeney-todd-stars-josh-groban-and-annaleigh-ashford-as-a-match-made-in-hell_1439874/

"There’s not a better cast on Broadway to bring this gruesome and tuneful revenge tragedy back to life. Sure, the staging will make you jump in your seat — but the scariest thing about Sweeney is how good the actors are."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 9:35pm

Hopefully someone can add the others if they weigh in (Theaterly? Observer? AMNY? Others...?)

[noradesmond]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 9:49pm

MemorableUserName said: "Variety:

‘Sweeney Todd’ Review: Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford Lead a Soaring but Remote Sondheim Revival on Broadway

https://variety.com/2023/legit/reviews/sweeney-todd-review-josh-groban-broadway-annaleigh-ashford-1235564843/"

Hey Variety, Ruthie Ann Miles won her Tony for The King & I, not South Pacific. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 10:04pm

DTLI Consensus: God, that's great.

12 positive (including the NYT), 1 mixed. 

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 11:06pm

Review: Broadway’s magnificent revival of ‘Sweeney Todd’ prioritizes suffering over savagery 

https://broadwaynews.com/2023/03/26/review-broadways-magnificent-revival-of-sweeney-todd-prioritizes-suffering-over-savagery/

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 11:25pm

Is Tommy Kail winning the Tony for Best Director of a Musical again?

That field is wide open this year, with some of the top shows of the season not being natural contenders there. The direction for Kimberly and Juliet are both weak, and musical comedies like SLIH and NYNY aren’t always rewarded for directing. Could be Kail, Arden, Lear D, and then Bart Sher, Jack O’Brien, Casey N, and/or Stro fighting for the final slots.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 11:42pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Is Tommy Kail winning the Tony for Best Director of a Musical again?

That field is wide open this year, with some of the top shows of the season not being natural contenders there. The direction for Kimberly and Juliet are both weak, and musical comedies like SLIH and NYNY aren’t always rewarded for directing. Could be Kail, Arden, Lear D, and then Bart Sher, Jack O’Brien, Casey N, and/or Stro fighting for the final slots."

I didn't think the direction of Kimberly Akimbo was weak at all. That being said, I'm going to predict Michael Arden for Best Director of a Musical. Totally up in the air though.

[Markie27]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 11:55pm

I guess this is the front runner for Best Revival.  I was holding out hope that ITW can pull a boys in the band and still win the Tony after closing.  the only spoiler would be if both Sondheim rave reviewed shows cancelled each other out and Parade ultimately wins.  I think a poster here already mentioned the precedent of this happening more than once before.  
 

I’m still holding on to the hope that Lear wins best director although I wouldn’t be disappointed at all if Michael Arden wins as he should have won years ago for once on this island.  
 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 12:21am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Is Tommy Kail winning the Tony for Best Director of a Musical again?

That field is wide open this year, with some of the top shows of the season not being natural contenders there. The direction for Kimberly and Juliet are both weak, and musical comedies like SLIH and NYNY aren’t always rewarded for directing. Could be Kail, Arden, Lear D, and then Bart Sher, Jack O’Brien, Casey N, and/or Stro fighting for the final slots."

Having seen Kimberly, what made it weak to you? I thought it was actually quite gorgeous, especially knowing the off-Broadway space they came from. 

I'm kind of a "meh" with these reviews. Like, this is what I expected? I trust the reviews on this board more than I do these critics. It sounds like the leads are just doing what they do, which is fine, but is not a revelation. The design sucks. The choreography sucks. Which, to me, means the overall direction sucks. 

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 12:29am

Having seen Kimberly, what made it weak to you? I thought it was actually quite gorgeous, especially knowing the off-Broadway space they came from. 
 

For starters, as wonderful as Bonnie Milligan is in the show, she’s in a different show then the rest of that cast. She feels very broad, musical theatre, the others feel very grounded and rooted in reality- which is personally why I found Alli Mauzey to be more effective and her work is completely overshadowed. I think a more experienced Director could’ve reigned that in. 

Updated On: 3/27/23 at 12:29 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 12:43am

Phillytheatreguy10 said: "Having seen Kimberly, what made it weak to you? I thought it was actually quite gorgeous, especially knowing the off-Broadway space they came from.


For starters, as wonderful as Bonnie Milligan is in the show, she’s in a different show then the rest of that cast. She feels very broad, musical theatre, the others feel very grounded and rooted in reality- which is personally why I found Alli Mauzey to be more effective and her work is completely overshadowed. I think a more experienced Director could’ve reigned that in."

Tone problems is one element, as is cluttered blocking hampered by a clunky, ugly design. The show sort of works in spite of its direction.

[UWS10023]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 12:45am

Isn’t Ruthie doing Light In The Piazza in a few months?

 

[Idiot]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 12:51am

RippedMan said: The choreography sucks. 

The choreography was a weak spot for me as well.  Sweeney Awakening?  No.  It was distracting. 

[Musical Master]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 1:22am

Delighted by these very positive reviews tonight! I'm seeing this and Camelot in June so I'm very excited to see them both. 

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 1:32am

RippedMan said: "I'm kind of a "meh" with these reviews. Like, this is what I expected? I trust the reviews on this board more than I do these critics. It sounds like the leads are just doing what they do, which is fine, but is not a revelation. The design sucks. The choreography sucks. Which, to me, means the overall direction sucks."

Oh, sweetie. I know. Its so sad when the negative Broadway World Bitches are thwarted by the actual critics...

[bear88]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 2:58am

MemorableUserName said: "

Bloomberg

Review: Sweeney Todd, Sondheim’s Bloody Barber, Is Back

The Broadway revival, starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, offers more music and even more laughs, but not a lot of meat.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:EEnbt9gtY8oJ:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-27/sweeney-todd-josh-groban-and-annaleigh-ashford-broadway-review&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

"It’s no simple matter, staging a show that’s gorgeous,titillating, terrifying and devastating, often all at the same time. Unfortunately,the overstuffed production that opened last nightat the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre falls far short."

"

This Bloomberg review is pretty brutal. Mark Leydorf writes that he believes Sweeney Todd is the greatest musical of all time. He praises Josh Groban's singing, the orchestrations, the supporting cast, and the lighting and set design - but says it doesn't work.

He describes Annaleigh Ashford as a "shameless laugh machine" who is trying too hard to fill Angela Lansbury's shoes as Mrs. Lovett. "Lansbury was indeed a riot, but she was always in character tirelessly trying to make Sweeney laugh. Ashford seems fixated on making us laugh."

On Groban: "When he's not singing, he's a listless sadsack, a sort of Emo Sweeney, lacking the intensity the character demands."

He writes that Director Thomas Kail "is plainly a bit at sea" whose version of the show is a "slog" and criticizes Stepven Hoggett's "frenetic choreography" for turning the show's "creepiest element into its cheesiest." And he concludes by writing that the musical's "blood-curdling critique of capitalism" is absent because the show doesn't travel anywhere emotionally.

I liked the revival a lot more than Leydorf, but for those looking for a pointed dissenting view from a critic, this is it.

Updated On: 3/27/23 at 02:58 AM

[bear88]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 4:23am

While the critical praise is sometimes more nuanced than the thumbs-up or thumbs-down format of Did They Like It would suggest, the producers must be thrilled with these reviews overall. A New York Times critic's pick filled with praise. The Washington Post's Peter Marks points out the "muddy acoustics" but regards the problem as fixable while praising the cast.

Chris Jones in the New York Daily News praises director Thomas Kail and choreographer Steven Hoggett, whose work got mixed reviews overall, for "[fusing] their mutual staging into a consistent struggle to survive but, remarkably, without squelching the theatricality and fun of the piece.

 And that’s the secret sauce here: You get the gravitas but all of the grisly yuks, too. All that and the formidable musical supervisor Alex Lacamoire [”Hamilton”] conducting in the pit and catching every note of excitement in Jonathan Tunick’s justly legendary orchestrations wherein strings slice and dice at one moment, and then haunt with tenderness at the next. Nevin Steinberg’s sound design has all those interconnected colors. Most Sweeneys I’ve seen make you pick. Not this one."

There are pullquotes galore in these reviews that laud Groban's vocals, Ashford's comedic skills, the supporting cast (even the much-criticized Jordan Fisher), the set design. There is universal praise for the lighting. Even when faults are outlined, the revival is repeatedly described as fun. 

Nothing in these reviews is going to discourage anyone from seeing the revival, and that's been a big question. Can a big-budget Sweeney Todd actually succeed in the marketplace, or will it fade once fans of the musical and its stars have seen it? I don't know the answer, but these notices will do nothing to slow the show's momentum.

Updated On: 3/27/23 at 04:23 AM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 5:47am

ljay889 said: "Some really great reviews. Certainly different from much of the reaction on this board."

Which goes to show you that opinions are just that: opinions. 
 

For me it’s between this and Parade for the win at this year’s Tony Awards for Best Revival.

Updated On: 3/27/23 at 05:47 AM

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 6:18am

"listless sadsack" with a beautiful voice.  Perfect description.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 6:22am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Is Tommy Kail winning the Tony for Best Director of a Musical again?

That field is wide open this year, with some of the top shows of the season not being natural contenders there. The direction for Kimberly and Juliet are both weak, and musical comedies like SLIH and NYNY aren’t always rewarded for directing. Could be Kail, Arden, Lear D, and then Bart Sher, Jack O’Brien, Casey N, and/or Stro fighting for the final slots."

The lineup I'm currently predicting consists of Kail, Nicholaw, Sher, Stone, and Stroman. Arden and Lear are both possible, but they could still be vulnerable given the bare bones, concert style nature of Parade and Into the Woods, respectively. Granted, Walter Bobbie managed to win this award for doing just that with Chicago in 1996. Then again, productions that have mainly been seen as acting achievements rarely land directing nominations. My predicted 5 could all have legs up for having showier stagings.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 6:32am

Markie27 said: "I guess this is the front runner for Best Revival. I was holding out hope that ITW can pull a Boys in the Band and still win the Tony after closing. the only spoiler would be if both Sondheim rave reviewed shows cancelled each other out and Parade ultimately wins. I think a poster here already mentioned the precedent of this happening more than once before."

I know mentioned a long list of examples here where two musical revivals that shared at least one credited author in contention cancelled each other out. Although what could make Into the Woods vulnerable is the change of rules for this year. While voters still have to log a show into the portal system, they can still be allowed to vote in a specific category if they only missed one of the nominees. But if they missed more than one, then they won't be allowed to vote.

 

[inception]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 6:40am

I'm not surprised by the reviews.

Some of the people posting on the main thread here sound like possibly music professionals the way they pick at every detail.  Not sure that any of the pro critics have such credentials?

I didn't have any problems with things people here are complaining about like the sound or Ashford's diction. 

If I hadn't just seen Parade & Camelot the day before, maybe I would have been more blown away by this production.

But, over a week later the song that I can't get out of my head is "Joahnna."

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 8:29am

AMNY: Review: A musically glorious and starry ‘Sweeney Todd’ revival

https://www.amny.com/entertainment/a-musically-glorious-and-starry-sweeney-todd-revival/

"I am not saying that the production is perfect. Some of the supporting performances are underwhelming (including Jordan Fisher’s Anthony and Maria Bilbao’s Johanna) and Steven Hoggett’s stylized, ritualistic choreography is questionable. Nevertheless, this is a fully transporting, invigorating, deliriously enjoyable production."

[JasonC3]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 8:29am

I'm not a music professional, but I couldn't hear or understand Ashford about 10% of the time or more.  If I were not a Sweeney Todd lover intimately familiar with the lyrics and dialogue, I would have been lost at times ... as were the first-timers who attended with me.

As the Observer critic (yes, I know it is sourpuss Rex Reed) notes in the next post's linked review Groban is the only one who delivers on this 100%: "And boy can he sing! He is the only one in the cast who can be heard distinctly and understood coherently, with a place for every note and every syllable intact. Yes,

I'm glad the generally enthusiastic critical reception will likely encourage more people to see the show.  I hope the continuing sound issues that some, but not all people, here have reported finally are fixed.  The precision of Sondheim's lyrics and musicality deserve it.

Updated On: 3/27/23 at 08:29 AM