Sweeney - Original Staging — Page 2

Cubanpab, theatre in the 70s and 80s in New York may not have been the golden years, but it was a lot of fun. I remember many amazing nights and, as I was not a native New Yorker, I was always trying to squeeze other things in before and after.

Let's see... I remember the night we went to the opening of 42nd Street - yes, that night - with the horrible "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have sad news" speech that David The Shameless Merrick made after the show announcing the death of Gower Champion (news that had been kept from most of the cast and crew) There was an immediate rush for the programs.I had to fight to keep the two I still have to this day. Usually, I would take at lest ten from the piles at the ends of the last row but that night they were gobbled up.

The strange thing is, that night, my girlfriend wanted to go out clubbing, so after the show, we walked up to the one club she had read about and thought would be a hoot to go to - Plato's Retreat in the basement of the Ansonia. It was SO bizarre. I won't describe it in detail. You can Google if you are curious.

Another night, after some show, we went to The Red Parrot and saw Liza Minelli singing with that big band they had there. There was about 4,000 people squeezed in.

I used to enjoy Ma Bell's in Shubert Alley and The Cafe des Artists and of course, Studio 54 and Danceteria. We got taken to Regine's one night. The place was full of famous faces and lots of Eurotrash that weren't as much famous as fabulous.

There was the great Broadway theatre bookstores - does anyone remember Richard Stoddert's on I believe West 14th?

Time Square was filled with three card monte dealers and all sorts of disreputable and 42nd Street was very much take-your-life-in-your-hands sometimes.

Does anyone remember the guy who would show up at openings in the clear vinyl suit? My dad once remarked "I can count his change."

We used to like to go down to the Village after a show and back then, you could do dinner, a show and the Village and still have change from one hundred dollars.

One year, I got stuck in New York on Christmas eve. I went out walking around Rockefeller Center. There was a light snow fall. The Salvation Army Band was playing and one of the Sally An guys asked me if I needed a room and a warm meal for the night. I said thanks, no and remember thinking under any other circumstances, I would have found an offer like that kinda creepy.

I remember sitting next to Rex Reed at the opening of Jerry's Girls. I'll wait til he's dead to gossip about that night.

I'm glad someone brought this subject up. Sweeney was a highlight and it's fun wandering down memory lane.

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Eugene Lee seemes to be the only set designer who's ever been able to fill that massive stage at the Uris/Gershwin. The Sweeney set was genius, and he also did pretty good with Sowboat and yes, even Wicked.

I loved little details in the original Sweeney set like having follow spot operators positioned on the upper levelson the sides - in full view of the audience, in period costume. And sometimes the stagehands (also costumed) who moved the revolving unit would not even leave the stage during scenes - they would just sit on the stage floor, huddled against the walls odf the unit like homeless folk.

just saw the movie this afternoon and LOVED it (after hating the tour i saw last month)

Going to buy the DVD with Lansbury and Hearn tomorrow... cant wait to watch it!

Yes. It took place in an asylum and was seen through Toby's eyes. It's most likely the asylum we assume Toby would be taken to at the end of the play when he goes crazy. It opened up with him bound and gagged and his "caretaker" who also played Pirelli would release him, he would start the ballad, and the tale would come alive in the asylum as seen through Toby's eyes.

Loved the original production. Hated the Doyle production. That score being played by 10 musicians is ludicrous. It was like not allowing Rembrandt to use all the colors in the crayon box...instead he is given only 10.

Does anyone remember "Singing In The Rain" at The Uris? I saw the show in London, at the Palladium with the still amazing Tommy Steele and this wonderful little man named Roy Castle playing the Cozmo role. He was AMAZING. When he did "Be A Clown" - yup, not "Make Em Laugh". I guess the Berlin estate finally said enough is enough to that thievery - Castle sang tap danced, juggled AND did back filps ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Amazing little man. He's long gone now.

ANYWAY, then the show came to New York with relative unknowns (Don Correia, Mary D'Arcy and the ridiculously talented Peter Slutsker as Cosmo) I came into town to see the show. Huh. Didn't move m. HOWEVER, talk about filling the stage. That house of Don Lockwood set from "Good Morning" was amazing. The set was so enormous that only 2/3 of it could be on stage at any one time, so one side or the other was always in the wings. And as the trio raced through the house, the set wold move to adjust, then they'd turn and go the other was and the other side would roll into the opposite wing. That was clever.

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Updated On: 12/26/07 at 03:13 AM

so the clips i saw on "the website that cant be named" that was from the tour? not the original stage show? were the same sets used on the tour that were used on the stage show?

I think the bridge on the original set not only went up or down it also could travel upstage and downstage.

AMAZING! any pictures around of what the original set looked like??? i'd love to see it...

man, i love this show so much now that it pains me to know i'll never see what some of you saw...

Here's a clip of the video with the touring set. It will give you SOME idea of the original.
God, that's Good!

Yes, the DVD released of SWEENEY TODD with Angela and George is of the 1980 US Nat'l Tour and the tour cast. It was filmed during its run in Los Angeles.

Seems alot of people are not reading the responses and asking the same question about this DVD/productioin. No biggie.

Pab -- you know I would never be rude to you (for many reasons).

It was directed to those asking those "oh, that is DVD is of the tour?!" questions over and over (and over again).

I'm sorry im confused
Is that video on youtube from the tour with george hearn??? with landsbury or with um patti lupone ?

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