Sweeney Todd in Paris - Stunning!

Posted: 4/28/11 at 9:50pm

Le Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, which has recently been introducing Sondheim shows to France - starting last year with their gorgeous looking production of A Little Night Music with Leslie Caron, seems to have topped it with their current Sweeney Todd production.

As with Night Music, it's performed in English by a largely English speaking cast - Mrs Lovett here is played by a seemingly ideally cast Caroline O'Connor. After all the small and smaller recent revivals, THIS is how I like my Sweeney best--the stage design seems to be based relatively on the Eugene Lee original, but a bit darker

Photos can be found here: http://www.westendtheatre.com/12936/show-photos/photos-sweeney-todd-at-the-theatre-du-chatelet-paris/

And found two clips on youtube. This is from the official Theatre du Chatelet youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyxn_sh6nhg

And a short news behind the scenes thing (en francais...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQnejy1ZmZg

[indytallguy]

Posted: 4/28/11 at 10:03pm

Thanks for posting. Looks (and sounds) like a great production. I love it large-scale and full of grand gestures, but also appreciate the intimacy and menacing feel of Doyle revival.

Posted: 4/28/11 at 10:24pm

It's true Sweeney can work both ways--it just seems more and more rare to see it done BIG. I didn't see the Doyle production, just clips, but I loved the genuinely scary, intimate production the Royal National Theatre did in London in the 90s with Julia McKenzie--I was a young teen and it kinda traumatized me--in a good way.
Updated On: 4/28/11 at 10:24 PM

Posted: 4/28/11 at 10:44pm

One more set of clips... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-QIva4IZ7w

[Muhlethaler]

Posted: 4/28/11 at 11:36pm

Updated On: 7/20/18 at 11:36 PM

[binau]

Posted: 4/29/11 at 12:14am

The hair is cueing me to beat the dead horse that Bernadette Peters needs to play Lovett.


Perhaps Mandy Patinkin can be a revelatory, insane Sweeney - and they can reunite once more. I think their voices go well together.

[Eos]

Posted: 4/29/11 at 1:26am

Thanks for posting these pics and clips, Eric. Just reminds me -- I like my Sweeney big with a nice phat-ass orchestra, please and thank you.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 4/29/11 at 9:54am

I passed up the opportunity to see this as I found their production of A Little Night Music a bit comme ci, comme ca.

My mistake - this looks really good. And Caroline O'Connor is necessarily good casting.

Just as is Imelda Staunton, who I won't be passing up the chance to see later in the year at Chichester.

[darquegk]

Posted: 4/29/11 at 10:01am

Interesting note: they appear to have Sweeney with classic Sweeney Todd hair, in the film's Sweeney Todd outfit.

Posted: 4/30/11 at 12:22am

It's true I did hear mixed things about Night Music - from the Klimt inspired imagery on --this seems to be much more traditional, but in the best sense of the word.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 4/30/11 at 2:00am

"Legendary Sweeney Todd composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim attended the opening night of Sweeney Todd in Paris and declared Caroline, "the best Mrs Lovett he has ever heard." (Le Monde, Sweeney Todd review)."

Thats high praise indeed!

[My Oh My]

Posted: 4/30/11 at 5:17am

Who's responsible for designing this?

I want to shake their hand!!

That looks like it would totally satisfy my desire to be treated to the original production but with just enough variation to give it fresh stylistic flair. Very, very nice. Sort of a cross between the original/film/Barcelona productions!

Posted: 4/30/11 at 5:55am

Tanya McCallin did the designs.
As My oh My said--I think it's a perfect revision of the Lee original--I actually prefer it. Updated On: 4/30/11 at 05:55 AM

[CurtainCall]

Posted: 4/30/11 at 7:05am

I saw it opening night and I enjoyed seeing this for what it was, an opera version of a musical. Huge orchestra, amplified singers and a big set - and unlike A Little Night Music or Sound of Music at the same venue, not a great deal of elucidation - I liked the former and was left bemused by the latter. Caroline O'Connor was great, but not good enough to erase Hancock, McKenzie or Lansbury in the role - the Sweeney I saw, Rod Gilfry, was a little wooden but loosened up as he seemed to get into the swing of things. It wasn't foreign, in the same way as Harold Prince's version was but it was bloody and spectacular however it lost a lot in terms of the thriller aspect of the story and some of the humour, if you were relying on the surtitles. At least on the night I was there there were a lot of Brits and English-speakers who seemed to know the lyrics anyway, so the reaction was good.

The things that were lost were the labour-inducing scariness of the National and the threatening intimacy of the Bond or Doyle versions. I'm glad I saw it and rather like the Prince version it perhaps introduced the story in a palatable style to an audience unfamiliar with the story and, in this case, also, an opera-going audience but it was never going to persuade me it's the best way to do the show.

And please, keep Patinkin and Peters far away from this show.







Updated On: 5/4/11 at 07:05 AM

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 4/30/11 at 8:34am

MAGNIFIQUE!!!

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/30/11 at 2:32pm

Wow! The second to last picture especially! Wish I could see this!

[Hest882]

Posted: 4/30/11 at 7:44pm

Oh wow. Going to be in Paris in the fall; I wonder what they'll be doing then?

[singtopher]

Posted: 4/30/11 at 9:34pm

I love how the photos were clearly taken during a run of the show and not staged. It gives them a much more authentic feel.

[danholme]

Posted: 5/1/11 at 3:53am

I was in Paris on Friday and, while walking around, saw ONE (and only one) poster for the show... and the poster was in a niche behind a giant potted tree... it was such an afterthought. I love Sweeney Todd, so I made note of the show, but I had not heard of Théâtre du Châtelet, so I figured it was a small production.

THANK YOU ALL for your notes on this thread. I found this thread on Saturday and your comments and YouTube links made me decide to go see the show. If it weren't for you, I'd not have gone.

So I thought I'd share a review with you. I'm not a professional critic, so I can only tell you my reaction. I'll call out the things that I feel need calling out, but let me start with the conclusion: I'm VERY glad I went!

I arrived 15 minutes before curtain and, as a single seat, ended up front row mez, four seats off center. Couldn't have been a better seat.

So ST is my favorite work of art--period. I really adore the piece and the way it is crafted. It's also an insanely difficult piece to pull off. IMO, the best production *I* have seen is the Lyric Opera of Chicago's, followed by the Bway revival...

And it is always AWESOME to hear a full-blown production and this was definitely that! A gigantic, powerful orchestra and big, beautiful voices. For my ears, HEAVEN. For my eyes--the design (lights, sets, costumes) maybe the best I've seen (or at least as good as Chicago's).

Caroline O'Connor was really, really good. Mrs. Lovett is such a tough role--to capture the comedy, the romance, the eccentricity, and the evil. I've liked most of the Mrs. Lovett's I've seen, but I think hers will be the one I remember.

The rest of the cast provided *outstanding* voices, but the acting and directing fell just a tad short for me. Everyone was just one step short on their journey to find the truth in their characters, in my opinion, leaving me feeling disconnected from them. I hate to say anything bad about a cast that obviously worked INCREDIBLY hard on such a tough piece, but that's the case.

And in the role of Anthony, Nicholas Garrett was really miscast. His voice was glorious--perhaps *too* good and baritone for a young role that should (IMO) be more tenor sounding. But from my seat, he read VERY old--2-3 times the age of the 16-year-old Joanna (who also read somewhat older), and Garrett played the role too mature, too smarmy, and his never-ending fluid movements without any noticable intention caused me to simply close my eyes when he was on stage and listen, leaving the acting to my imagination... in which he was perfect

The direction had some brilliant moments, but the direction and use of the ensemble as a London crowd was awkward and distracting. I am not sure whether actors or director should be mentioned for some of the stiff, disconnected moments.

Small thing, but probably the best "kills" of any ST I've seen. The use of blood, both jugular and in the streets, was effective, and gruesomely beautiful.

The Chatelet and its team should be highly commended for pulling off a VERY solid production of this most-difficult piece in a town not accustomed to musical theatre. The audience was justifiably appreciative, with at least three encore curtain calls.

While I've mentioned the drawbacks of the production, I am THOROUGHLY glad I saw the show, EXTREMELY glad that this piece has once again been done justice in a full-sized production, and GRATEFUL that all you on BWW convinced me to invest $150 USD on an evening that was heaven to my ears.

Posted: 5/3/11 at 7:47pm

Great to read both reviews, and I'm glad danholme that this thread helped you decide to go.

Someonementioned the surtitles losing some of the humour--I have to say in that clip I thought the translation of A Little Priest--a very hard song to translate--was pretty mediocre and not very funny...

[CurtainCall]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 12:55pm

The production will be transmitted on radio on 11 May.

http://sites.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/em/rue/emission.php?e_id=65000060

[Feldzieg]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 1:30pm

Kudos to the producers for bringing it on stage in English. I am German and always appalled that we apparently have to translate everything until the last charm is sucked out of the piece. I mean, opera is sung in Italian for God's sake - do you really have to translate the Lion King?

In this context, how does the French audience react to the show? How big is the house? Is the run healthy? If yes, I think it could work in Berlin, too...

[CurtainCall]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 2:46pm

To Feldzieg: The theatre seats about 2500. I was there on opening night and the reaction was great - there were quite a few British accents in the theatre, so I can't say hand-on-heart that it was a completely French reaction, but the French friends I was with, enjoyed it. They had seen the Doyle version previously in London and were surprised by the operatic take on the show. The French press have given it good reviews and I know that there have been sell-out performances since.

It runs till 21 May

[danholme]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 10:43pm

To Feldzig:

On Saturday, the house was VERY full, though maybe not 100% sold out... close!

GREAT reaction!

Given that the German audience is accustomed to musical theatre in a way that the French audience is not, I believe that the success would be even greater in Germany.

[danholme]

Posted: 5/4/11 at 10:49pm

The NYT review came out today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/arts/04iht-loomis04.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

I agree with the bulk of the review, and was pleased that Mr. Loomis noticably left out Nicolas Garrett in the list of good performances.

Mr. Loomis DID remind me that:
Pascal Charbonneau’s sweet tenor makes Tobias’s “Not While I’m Around” a high point.

Agreed! Pascal was great! Again a superb voice... good acting... wish he "read" a bit younger (and shorter).