Sweeney revival no longer going be produced by Roundabout

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 3/17/05 at 9:40pm

...I think that is what this article (first sentence) is saying.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_article&articleID=VR1117919727&categoryID=15&cs=1

Updated On: 3/17/05 at 09:40 PM

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 2:02am

"The London revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" will transfer to Broadway in the fall, but not at the nonprofit address where it had been expected to set up shop.

No New York theater has been announced for the murderous tale of the eponymous barber and his gruesome partnership with Mrs. Lovett, who bakes Todd's victims in tasty meat pies. Steven Baruch, Thomas Viertel, Marc Routh and Richard Frankel are producing with London producers Ambassador Theater Group, Adam Kenwright and Maidstone Prods.

That commercial configuration deep-sixes any pending deal with the nonprofit Roundabout Theater Company, which was widely reported to be in advanced negotiations to bring the production to its Studio 54 Broadway stage later this year. Roundabout, however, had never confirmed the production. Company reps were unavailable for comment."

Don't know what to make of this.
Makes me happy that now it will be an open-ended run since it won't be at Roundabout, but that also means we'll probably have to wait a while longer for it to happen (if it happens at all).

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 2:23am

I saw this production in London and it was absolutely fascinating. I hope that they do bring over at least some of the UK cast -- it would seem almost unthinkable not to -- flaws and all.

[bjivie2]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:44am

Well, from what I've heard about the show, it would be very difficult to recast the roles. Doesn't each character also have to play a specific instrument or something?

I'd love to see such a newly imagined version of the show, but I also really want to see Bernadette Peters or Patti LuPone play the role on Broadway. I'm torn.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 11:27am

I just want to see it live!

[LaCageAuxFollesFan]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 11:32am

Well after the way Roundabouts Non-for-Profit status obviously hindered what could and should have been a really good production of PACIFIC OVERATURES and turned it into mindnumbing bordum is also very telling.

[commasplice]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 11:37am

Here's the old thread that talked about casting: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardname=bway&thread=762532#762532

I hope the show finds a theatre (and a top-notch cast).

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/18/05 at 11:55am

Well, even if it were a different production of SWEENEY coming to Broadway, I doubt we'd see LuPone in it again. Frankly, I don't imagine we'll see LuPone in a full run of anything on Broadway in the near future. She's basically been blacklisted by producers after her behavior off stage in NOISES OFF.

I do imagine Peters will do a production of this at some point -- though perhaps not in NYC. It seems only fitting to round out her "Sondheim Ouevre."

This production, as indicated in the other thread, is just fascinating. Its unlike anything you've ever seen before, and while it's bound to divide the SWEENEY purists, I think we can all be glad that somebody is doing something new with the material and not just giving a carbon copy of a production thats been done many times before.

And the cast in London basically WAS the show -- it was not the best sung version of Sweeney you are likely to hear but all the performances were superb and fit ideally into the unique overall vision for the piece. I imagine at least some of them will come over. The Mrs. Lovett was American, so I would imagine she will for sure.