I love the "City on Fire" madhouse chorus section from Sweeney Todd. It's super exciting! In the new John Doyle production, Manoel Felciano's Toby sings it all by himself, after he discovers some hairy stuff in a bucket. (heh).
"City on Fire, rats in the grass and the lunatics yelling in the streets it's the end of the world yes, city on fire hunchbacks dancing, stirrings in the ground, and the whirring of giant wings. Watch out! Look! Blotting out the moonlight! Thick black rain falling on the city on fire, city in fire, CITY ON FIRE!"
Wow!!
In the original, the chorus even loops this part at one point, a la "row row row your boat" - that's when I realized Sondheim is an insane mad professor crazy awesome super-genius of the highest caliber!
The one that makes me cry: "Send in the Clowns." The one that makes me swoon: "Not While I'm Around." The one that makes me pine: "Losing My Mind." The one that makes me want to conquer the world: "Being Alive."
I hope you're ALL going to get your CD's signed on Tuesday night at the Eugene O'Neill theater - the GENIUS himself will be there meeting and greeting and signing, along with the rest of the cast. Go people! Go! And please - someone take copius notes and post them here! Live blogging, anyone? Anyone?
