Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
NYC bleeped it because it started in the 9:00 pm hour. If it had started in the 10:00 pm hour, they wouldn't have bleeped it.
Whoa! The boy soprano from the West Side Story revival is all grown up.
Updated On: 9/26/14 at 09:40 PM
Broadway Star Joined: 7/12/07
Does anyone know if this is being repeated? I'm out and of course the person I asked to DVR it for me forgot.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
If Sweeney got busy and slit the Judge's throat rather than wasting time singing Pretty Women, then things would be very different.
Broadway Star Joined: 7/13/08
Kind of underwhelmed so far. Perhaps it is the semi-staged nature of this, but it is dragging. Love Thompson's comedic touches, but her head voice in The Worst Pies? Not so much. And Terfel runs hot or cold in both his singing and his acting.
Updated On: 9/26/14 at 10:18 PM
This makes me want Emma to star in a full scale revival.
I am sure it won't be long before she's approached for a full scale revival. Though I assume she has quite a busy schedule.
Updated On: 9/26/14 at 10:27 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
But can we all agree that Audra is killing it as the Beggar Woman. She's too funny!
When I take my glasses off and watch it looks like Rosie O'Donnell is playing the role of Sweeney.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/28/10
Some years ago, CBS televised a live broadcast of the play ON GOLDEN POND with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The word "bull****" was said several times and it was not bleeped. I remember David Letterman making a big thing about it the following night.
Terfel has a glorious voice, but he's clearly not the strongest actor.
Is it me - or are some of the tempos too slow?
Yes, definitely better live, but I feel like that's just the way it is with these kinds of things? I'm not a fan of how they filmed it. Too many close ups, I think.
No ljay, I noticed the slow tempos when I saw it live. But the pacing of the ensemble pieces are all over the place- Pirelli's Miracle Elixir and City on Fire are some of my favorite moments but they were just an intelligible mess at times.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
"I'm not a fan of how they filmed it. Too many close ups, I think."
Yes, early on there were a couple of terrible shots of Joanna where the camera was too tight on the side of her face.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
What's wrong with the side of Toby's head?
Am I forgetting why Tobias doesn't have any hair on the left side of his head? Not recalling that from previous versions I saw/the movie...
All of the men's falsetto's are weak... The Beadle, Pirelli, and Toby. I am enjoying it though, very much. The thing these productions never get right is that Mrs Lovett is and always has been IN LOVE with Sweeney. Everything she does is motivated by that. It's never played strong enough. IMHO
I also think Bryn is doing great for an opera singer. Phillip Quest is, as always, amazing. The Anthony is wonderful. Joanna is a great singer, not ditzy enough. Christian Borle.. meh... his usual performance. Jeff Blumenkranz is a wonderful actor.
Updated On: 9/26/14 at 11:01 PM
The woman playing Johanna reminds me of Katie Finneran for some reason.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
The thing these productions never get right is that Mrs Lovett is and always has been IN LOVE with Sweeney. Everything she does is motivated by that. It's never played strong enough. IMHO
I thought Emma REALLY played it up and nailed that aspect of the character.
Is that a vuvuzela I'm hearing each time a throat is slit?
I disagree, although I thought she did a great job. The key moment is when SWEENEY RETURNS! It's the climax of the play for Mrs Lovett in many ways. I wasn't really fond of the red dress either. But all in all, I really enjoyed hearing the score sung so well with the Philharmonic.
It's been ages since I saw a production that had the policemen coming into the bakehouse with Anthony and Johanna. This reminded me of a slight confusion I had over their presence in this scene. Were they chasing Anthony and Johanna, or did Johanna find them after running out of the barbershop and have them come to arrest Sweeney?
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