loud noises in Sweeny Todd?

[JaxLovesBroadway]

Posted: 3/22/23 at 12:42pm

does anyone know if there are any loud, startling noises (e.g., gunshots, cannons, pyrotechnics, etc.) in the new Sweeny Todd on Broadway? I am going on April 1 and would love to know in advance. thank you!

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 3/22/23 at 1:25pm

I mean, this show is a thriller, and there are unexpected moments. If you've listened to Sweeney Todd before, there used to be a whistling sound at the beginning of the opening ballad. That, however, has been removed for this production. 

[RumTumJM]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 9:39pm

While I've never seen the show, I do know that there is traditionally a gunshot in Act II. I'll pass it off to someone else on this board, who's seen the show, to explain whether or not the gunshot is still in this version and if it's a blank or a recorded sound effect. 

P.S. - What happened to the old "Theater Gunshots" (or whatever it was called) thread? Some time ago I tried to search for a post from it. Oddly, while posts came up in the search field, I was never able to actually go to the page/thread. WEIRD!

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 10:24pm

The only thing loud in this particular production is the sound of Annaleigh Ashford's incisors shattering as she devours the scenery.

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 10:31pm

TotallyEffed said: "The only thing loud in this particular production is the sound of AnnaleighAshford's incisors shattering as she devours the scenery."

Is this what we call bad acting nowadays?

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 10:39pm

There's a not-very-loud recorded gunshot about 40 minutes into act 2, during the asylum scene.

[JaxLovesBroadway]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 10:54pm

Thank you for your response! I too was trying to get back into that old thread, and had the same issue! I tried emailing broadway world but it kept erroring out. I think a lot of people including myself have found it useful! 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 11:25pm

blaxx said: "TotallyEffed said: "The only thing loud in this particular production is the sound of AnnaleighAshford's incisors shattering as she devours the scenery."

Is this what we call bad acting nowadays?"


Yes.

[Voter]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 11:51pm

TaffyDavenport said: "There's a not-very-loud recorded gunshot about 40 minutes into act 2, during the asylum scene."

Does the gun shot sound come from a sound board offstage?

do you seen the gun on stage?

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 11:53pm

It's a recorded sound effect, and you see the gun long before it's shot.

[Voter]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 12:13am

TaffyDavenport said: "It's a recorded sound effect, and you see the gun long before it's shot."

Does the sound go off during a song in the asylum scene or is it during dialogue?

So there are no blanks or sound coming from the actual gun?

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 12:16am

It's not during a song, and no sound comes from the gun.

[Voter]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 12:32am

TaffyDavenport said: "It's not during a song, and no sound comes from the gun."

Thank you so much for my million questions!!!!

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 2:46am

Yes. Annaleigh Ashford’s singing. 

[shocktheatre]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 3:43am

It sounds like (I have not seen this yet) that any gunshot sound is less threatening than Ms. Ashford's vocals.

 

[RumTumJM]

Posted: 3/25/23 at 9:04pm

I honestly wonder if, moving forward, more shows will opt to use gunshot sound effects rather than live blanks.

First of all, I understand that when a Broadway show uses blanks/live ammunition, it's necessary to hire an armorer to tend to the weapon(s). Given Broadway's current financial struggles, I'm sure they'd be happy to save money & leave it to the already paid soundman to provide the BANG.

Secondly, let's not forget what happened to Alec Baldwin on the set of that "Rust" film. Now while I understand that there was likely some questionable behavior surrounding that incident, I'm sure that Broadway directors & producers would be happy to completely eliminate that risk by, once again, letting the soundman handle the BANG.

Perhaps, I'm wrong with those thoughts. But, I can't help but wonder.