SWEENEY TODD To Close On May 5, 2024

I saw the understudies in February and agree that it was a stunning production.

binau: "And there is no Bernadette as Lovett for me, not ever, any place"

Broadwayworld forum: "There never was"

binau: "What am I going to do?"

Broadwayworld forum: "You should go and get some rest, listen to Sunday and make plans for tomorrow"

binau: "Tomorrow? Oh dear god, it is tomorrow"

Not surprising. Some of my friends in the cast knew the writing was on the wall, but were getting irritated at how long it was taking for them to decide to post a closing, although the word was they were trying to get 4 more weeks out of Sutton and Aaron or find sufficient replacements.

Bernadette coulda, and still might, make a PERFECT Mrs. Lovett.

It’s not just you, binau.

Now that she’s pals with Cameron Mackintosh, maybe he could make it happen for her over in London.

They have announced a tour for the 25/26 season, I think. I have no doubt whomever is cast will be awesome

When I saw the revival in previews almost a year ago to the day, my spouse asked me what I thought afterward, knowing it was the show I most looked forward to seeing on our trip. Without thinking much, I said, ‘mixed,’ somewhat to her surprise.

There was plenty to enjoy, and given director Thomas Kail’s decision to emphasize entertainment even if it detracted from the source material, I didn’t even mind the hyped-up, enthusiastic audience. It was fun. But somehow, I left the theater a bit unsatisfied, even though Josh Groban’s vocals were fantastic, cutting through what was sometimes a muddled sonic mix.

I have been lucky enough to see a lot of Sondheim shows since his death, but this one was probably my least favorite of the major ones. It’s still Sweeney Todd - but I got more out of the other revivals I have seen, and the new Here We Are, which was better - thanks to strong direction and a terrific cast - than I had any reason to expect.

I have had somewhat mixed feelings about Into The Woods over the years, but the touring production I saw in San Francisco with Stephanie J. Block was such a terrific show with smart direction that I realized I liked it a lot more than I previously thought. The Merrily We Roll Along revival that’s still running on Broadway is the best revival I have ever seen of any musical. I adored a San Francisco Playhouse revival of Follies so much in 2022 that I kept going back. A small local production of Assassins was also terrific and disturbing.

And then there is Kail’s Sweeney Todd, the one Sondheim show I’ve seen where the director weirdly didn’t trust what’s there or add anything interesting. Yes, Groban probably didn’t really have the acting chops (he was better in Great Comet) and Annaleigh Ashford hammed it up excessively to make up for something Kail seemed to think was missing. The whole thing felt like less than the sum of its parts.

That said, I am glad I saw it, and that a lot of people did. The revival has been a financial success, not typical for Sondheim shows (including the award-winning Company revival that I will finally see on tour later this year). I like the cast recording even if it’s not as good as the original.

Yes, they announced a tour starting next year, and I am sure it will do well.

Updated On: 3/13/24 at 03:10 AM

I agree that as an overall revival this was not one of the best Sondheims in recent years. It felt a little bland to me, the choreography was weird and it just seemed to be a pretty standard staging (cf. the John Doyle revival, which was truly innovative). But what I was most worried about before performances started was the cast, and for the most part I do think they delivered.

I much preferred Ashford’s Lovett than Lea Salonga’s selection of songs in ‘Old Friends’ because vocally she was really different and pleasant sounding (similarly for Patti too) rather than going down the temptation of kind of speak singing and pretending they can’t really sing that Lea (and Carolee too) did even though they have so much more to give. I feel like I’ve already heard the speak singing take enough.


Josh Groban’s acting might have seemed a little stale but he is absolutely top tier on the vocals in every dimension I can think of (beauty, acting, force). I would not say the same as all recent Sweeneys. I would prefer to listen to Josh G than Michael Cervies, Bryn Tyrell or Norm Lewis for example (other sweeneys in recent history).


except for Jordan Fisher (who I actually thought worked in this kind of Disney wicked type staging alluded to) the supporting cast also were pretty top tier.

I never saw the Carousel revival and wondered why everyone seemed to hate it when it sounded so good on CD. I wonder if the same is true for this Sweeney - better heard on CD than seen.

hearthemsing22 said: "Just one more reminder that just because a show is making the big bucks, doesn't mean it's going to run for a long time. Again, there are many factors that go into the decision to close. Even with your proposed dream casting, remember it's up to those performers if they even want to be involved, they could have a lot going on behind the scenes, personally, etc. Just because you want it to continue doesn't mean it will. Do we all understand this?"


Thank you for explaining life to all of us.

Binau:

Thank you for this very thoughtful response. I didn’t know much of what was in your post. Intriguing.