SWEENEY TODD, or...

[robbiej]

Posted: 10/24/05 at 3:14pm

I never knew I hated the triangle so much.

Really...it drove me nuts.

Full confession. I don't really like SWEENEY TODD. I mean...yes...it's brilliant. It's an astonishing work. I've been in it and it's a blast to perform. But I just don't like watching the show. I don't know why. It just never captured me like other musicals. So I'm not a purist when it comes to this show. At least, I didn't think I was. And then I saw the current revival...which I hoped would be the production that made me see the show in a way that would allow me to love the piece.

I'm truly all for reimaginings. Love them. All for it. I perform mostly in stylized productions that leave reality behind in order to seach for a deeper truth. I like those shows. But one thing those pieces don't have is a particularly strong script. SWEENEY TODD does. And when you f*ck with it too much, it falls apart.

I was surprised at how all suspense and, indeed, fear was drained from the piece for this production. It got to the point in the second act where you never worried that someone was going to live or die, because a blood-splattered lab coat would be present well before the actual murder. The suspense was removed. Now...you may say that because I (and many here) know the show, suspense can't really be created. But I also know that we, as a country, actually did declare our independence from England...and I still hold my breath watching 1776, wondering how the hell they're gonna do it. It's because the writing, acting and directing all build that suspense. Here, it was removed. And, in the end, it wasn't replaced with anything else. Not that there weren't a couple of arresting moments...but they didn't add up to a whole.

For example, I love the actual staging of Todd discovering who the Beggar Woman was. It was abstract and I eat that sh*t up. BUT...because the audience is not told in this production that the Beggar Woman is actually Lucy beforehand, then the slitting of her throat and the impending doom of that action just don't register. So we care much less than we should.

I question the choice of the little white coffin. People have suggested that it's 'innocence' and such. But it really replaces the chair. And the chair has nothing to do with Johanna or Lucy. Todd has long since lost his innocence. It's an interesting thought and a striking prop...but I simply didn't think it worked because it was a muddled metaphor. As was the asylum aspect. Placing it all in an asylum is a terrific idea...but one that wasn't followed through completely. The patient who is telling us this story takes on the role of Tobias. Here, because of crucial cuts in the script, Tobias is much less a presence...and his relationship with Lovett, in particular, is lessened.

All this said, no one can doubt the remarkable work from the cast. They are nine supremely talented people. Their work as musicians is astonishing. One in particular (Lauren Molina as Johanna) nailed her character in a way that I've never seen done before. Perfection. Manoel Feliciano was terrific as Toby. The real problem with the casting is that of the known actors...Patti Lupone, Michael Cerveris, Mark Jacoby and Donna Lynne Champlin. They were actually all terrific. The problem is never their talent or their commitment or their abilities to create honest, deep characterizations. The problem is, simply, that I know them. I think, for this production to truly work, everyone in the cast needs to be an unknown. We need to be able to suspend our belief that these are actors and actually think they could be residents in an asylum somewhere. Instead, we are simply impressed with the talents of these actors we've come to know, love and respect.

Would this production have worked better off-Broadway, in a cramped warehouse space, say? Yes. Absolutely. Not because Broadway can't or shouldn't try daring works, but because the environment one sees this piece in will determine one's reaction to it. Had I seen this work in a small, claustrophobic space downtown or in Brooklyn with a cast of unknowns...I may have gone along for the ride. But because so much was truly distancing about this production (from the venue to my knowledge of the actors), I found it difficult to fully appreciate the vision of John Doyle. I will never doubt the vision. But I can't fully appreciate what he was trying to achieve in this particular production.

[milkywhite2]

Posted: 10/24/05 at 3:58pm

Lauren Molina is one of the most talented bitches working on Broadway. She is certainly a jack (or jill) of all trades and i hope her work is acknowledged by all for her star turn as Johanna. She is such a renaissance woman as not only does she have the talent she displays onstage in Sweeney Todd, but she also is a multi faceted painter/artist and that girl can HOLD her liquor.

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/24/05 at 4:16pm

Since this is my favorite show, I am very excited about seeing another "take" on the show. I am hoping to see it the week of Nov. 14th.