Your point is valid, but at the same time, I think anyone going to see Sweeney Todd in a pie shop has some idea what they're getting themselves into. This is clearly a culty production; it seems targeted to Sweeney fanatics looking for something new, or to people who like oddball concept theatre in general.
Side note: does any other musical exist in the culture in such a malleable, oft-reimagined sense as Sweeney Todd? It's forever getting new "concept productions," new reimaginings, new orchestrations and new ways of setting and staging it. Its reputation in this way seems more akin to Shakespeare than to a contemporary musical from the late 70s.
Updated On: 8/23/16 at 12:03 PM