The Light in the Piazza and Sweeney Todd

So, yesterday I saw Light in the Piazza and tonight I saw Sweeney Todd.

LITP was one of the BEST shows I have ever seen. It was Patti-something who played the mother last night. The set was the most gorgeous one I have ever seen and the costumes were awesome. It was just all around amazing. Including all the performances.

Tonight, Sweeney Todd, I have to say my feelings were very different from the night before. I just did not like it at ALL. Granted, the acting was very good and Patti LuPone was excellent but I just didn't like the music or the staging. At times, it was also really boring.

Nonetheless, I still hope Patti wins the tony because I really really loved her part.

17

Patti Cohenour

It is certainly your perogative to dislike the score to SWEENEY TODD, but it is one of the most respected in the theatre.
It often takes some time to sink in.
I understand some have been turned off by the production, which is too bad. For me, it is the best show I have seen.

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Can you tell me how something "sounds" like a young persons opinion?

age has nothing to do with opinion. i am also 17 and i love sweeney. its just a matter of what catches you and what doesnt. i hated piazza the first time i saw it. now i love it. apdarcey. chew on that =)

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Teebz, I saw the original Sweeney 25 years ago when I was 18 (I'm showing my age here) and it is the reason that I still have a love for the theater. I recommend that you see the original on VHS or DVD because it is a standard musical theater presentation. I don't think your age has anything to do with it, however, the revival is not the easiest show to follow. I love the revival, so I encourage you to give the original version a try because it will provide you with a different persepective. But, then again, you may just not like it, but I think you owe it to yourself to give one of Sondheim's best works another try.

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I absolutely agree with you, Piazza was fantastic, you were extremely lucky to catch Patti Cohenour as Margaret, she is the best actress to see playing this role. I'd dare to say, that Cohenour is maybe the best actress currently performing on Broadway. Patti Lupone's The Worst Pies in London was probably the only song i enjoyed when i saw Sweeney Todd, but overall, i didn't enjoy this show. I don't like the score or to hear about people eating people or anything like that. I was trying to stay awake during the entire 2nd act. And i saw it when i was 25yo.

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Updated On: 5/19/06 at 01:32 AM

I didn't like the music played by the actors and i didn't like the concept or really anything at all, but it seems to be a requirement on this site to love Sweeney. I went to a promotion party of Sweeney and got a CD of this show for free. I tried listen to it and i realize i hate it and although i tried to let it grow on me, it's plain awful. And of course i am going to get attacked for saying this. It's a BWW felony. Just my opinion and i don't want anyone trying to make me change my mind or people saying i have bad taste when it comes to theatre. I heard it all before.

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Updated On: 5/19/06 at 01:39 AM

Teebz, being a younger theater fan (20 here) and seeing Sweeney I was a bit aprehensive as well.

I went in with the idea stuck in my head that I was not a Sondheim fan from seeing Into the Woods multiple times and truly despising it (barring Last Midnight and Children Will Listen). I found the music to be annoying and repetitive and was sure I'd feel the same way about Sweeney.

Over this past semester I saw many shows and made a point of trying to Sweeney but other shows won out, but one saturday the "Current Theater in NY" class @ my University had an extra (free!) ticket. With most shows, I give myself time to let it set in, and I was still not sure if I'd like it. I knew I was in the presence of a legend in Patti LuPone and that the cast was quite incredible, but still concluding my feelings on the score.

After listening to it a few times over, I found that many of the tunes were stuck in my head and now have them on my Broadway Faves list on iTunes.

When telling a friend right after seeing the show that it may have cemented my distaste for Sondheim's scores she told me something very useful. Each singing part per character represents and almost dialect or language of their own. The way they sing in each song is normally very similar because it is their style of singing and when what seems to be "jumbled" is going on, it is each of their "languages" overlaying each other.

I hope you can give the Cast recording some time to set in and you may find some real gems you'll enjoy, it truly is a masterpiece.

P.s Age has nothing to do with theater apreciation. I can certainly agree having the perspective of having seen a production in the 70s, 80s or even 90s that younger fans haven't seen gives you an edge of knowledge, but after a certain point, most people plateau in their knowledge of theater and most people can deciphre shi t from shi t, so lay off the youngins.

P.p.s Patti C. is the best. You are so lucky you had the chance to see her. If you just search posts by me you can see my ravings about her somewhere else (which I'm pretty sure inspired muscle23ftl to see her lol). I would agree she may be one of the best and most unsung (no pun...) stars on broadway.

Updated On: 5/19/06 at 02:26 AM