Musical Words of Wisdom: The Sondheim Musicals

Just over a month ago, I posted a blog of words of wisdom and witty, creatively stated ideas from the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber.  Today, here are just some of the many you have sent in (along with a few of my favorites) from the musicals of Stephen Sondheim.

There were so many, it really was hard to choose, so below are the ones I think are the most clever, most meaningful; but most of all, these are the ones that most of you repeated.  Clearly, some of these quotes mean a lot to many of us.

Here is a quote, sometimes two, from each of his Broadway shows. Some are my contributions, others are singular submissions from one person, and others are quotes sent in from several of you. In the interest of fairness, I will attribute the quotes to no one, except the lyricists themselves. I think they are all kind of catchy and all of them at least clever and thought-provoking.

I have included more than a couple from the most quoted of his shows, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Into the Woods.  Not surprising, really.  What does surprise me is how many I got from Merrily We Roll Along!

And I am still collecting your quotes from the musicals of Kander and Ebb!

Anyone Can Whistle

• "Crazy business, this, this life we live in - Can't complain about the time we're given - With so little to be sure of in this world." 

Assassins

• "Everybody's got the right to their dreams."

Company

• "Everybody rise!  Rise!  Rise!  Rise!  Rise! Rise!  Rise!"


• "But alone is alone, not alive."



• "And that's what it's all about isn't it? Company!  Lots of company!  Life is company!  Love is company!  Company!"

Follies

• "The things that I want, I don't seem to get, The things that I get...well, you know what I mean?"


• "Sometimes when all the wrappings fall there's nothing underneath at all."

Gypsy

• "Some people sit on their butts. Got the dream, yeah, but not the guts!”

Into the Woods

• "Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor."


• "I was taught to be charming not sincere."


• "We disappoint. We Disappear. We die, but we don't."


• "Isn't it nice to know a lot? And a little bit not."


• "Someone is on your side, Someone else is not. While we're seeing our side maybe we forgot: they are not alone. No one is alone."


• "Careful the tale you tell. That is the spell. Children will listen."

A Little Night Music

• "I frequently laugh myself to sleep contemplating my own future."


• "Isn't it rich? Are we a pair?"

Merrily We Roll Along

• "Dreams don't die so keep an eye on your dreams."


• "And a friendship's like a garden: you have to water it, and tend it, and care for it. And I want it back."


• "Okay, so now you know, life is crummy."


• "Some rides are rough and leave you jumpy, why make it tough by getting grumpy?"


• "Success is like failure - It's how you perceive it, It's what you do with it, Not how you achieve it"


• "You need a tune you can hum."

Passion

• "Why is love so easy to give, and so hard to receive?"


• "They hear drums. We hear music. Be my friend..."


• "Just another love story, that's what they would claim. Another simple love story. Aren't all of them the same?"

Sunday in the Park with George

• "The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not. You have to move on."



• "We do not belong together, and we should have belonged together. What made it so right together is what made it all wrong."



• "There are only two worthwhile things to leave behind when we depart this world of ours: children and art."

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

• "Don't you know, silly man, half the fun is to plan the plan?  All good things come to those who can...wait."


• "We'll not discriminate great from small.  No, we'll serve anyone - meaning anyone - and to anyone at all!"


• "Eat them slow, 'cos that's the lot and now we've sold it!  Come again tomorrow!  Hold it! ("More hot pies!") Bless my eyes! ("Right this way, Sir!") Fresh supplies!"


• "Being close and being clever ain't like being true."


• "No one can help, nothing can hide you -- isn't that Sweeney there beside you?"

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Jeff

3.025

REVIEW: Company (NY Philharmonic Film)

Review of the filmed version of Stephen Sondheim's Company at the Avery Fischer Hall in New York City. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Katie Finneran, Anika Noni Rose, Martha Plimpton, Jill Paice, Christina Hendricks, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Chryssie Whitehead, Jon Cryer, Stephen Colbert, Jim Walton, Craig Bierko and Aaron Lazar. With Alexa Green, Fred Inkley, Rob Lorey and Jessica Vosk,  Callie Carter, Ariana DeBose, Sean Ewing, Ashley Fitzgerald, Lorin Latarro and Lee Wilkins.  The New York Philharmonic under the baton of Paul Gemignani. Choreography by Josh Rhodes and direction by Lonny Price.

Grade: A+

Including last night's filmed version of the NY Philharmonic production of Stephen Sondheim's Company, I've have the great fortune of seeing 4 professional productions of this classic musical.  Company is probably my second favorite Sondheim score (Sweeney Todd being the first), and so I looked forward to this particular production since the second it was announced, figuring that at least a live recording would be made.  Then, miracles of miracles, it was announced as a film that would play theatres across the country!  Of course, the reason to look forward to this particular production was that it featured one of the world's most celebrated orchestras under the baton of the truest musical director of Sondheim musicals, Paul Gemignani, and using the glorious original orchestrations of Jonathan Tunick.  The wait was worth it, and I was not disappointed.

Hearing that score, the underscoring and "the vocal minority" background choral accompaniment through a crystal clear sound system gave me wave after wave of goose-bumps and smiles.  It was a true thrill to hear it the way it was meant to be and not pared down due to budget restraints or directorial concept.

Of course, Company is a book musical, not through-composed, so attention must be paid to that as well.  And I am happy to report that director Lonny Price and his terrific cast have not only nailed the pathos and darker undercurrents of the show, but they have also brought the sense of humor - cynical and "New Yawk" as it is - back to a piece that has, in more recent productions, become mired down in the long-running quest to demystify the Sondheim influence.  As with Sweeney Todd, and all of his musicals, really, Sondheim's darker side is much deeper and more interesting when coupled with the sense of wonder and humor that his shows have.  That couldn't be more true than with this particular production of Company.  Joanne's cynical bitchiness is much more interesting when you get to see the way she uses humor like putty that holds her cracked veneer of harshness precariously in place.  Amy's terror at taking the plunge is always played for laughs, but when the actress playing the role is allowed moments of soul-searching seriousness, it makes her ultimate decision that much more clear and understandable.  And, of course, showing a delight and love and sense of humor for all of his relationships makes each and every one of Bobby's couple-specific mood swings and life-changing realizations much more "everyman-relatable" than when he is played as a one-note self-loathing/self-absorbed/self-questioning bore (in other productions, it has been a take your pick of any of the three - at least here, Bobby is a mix).

The Company Company

Price's direction is complex in its emotional depth, but it and the choreography, by Josh Rhodes, have a light, breezy air about them.  Set on the large stage with several love seat size set pieces (i.e. big enough for a couple, but a third party is squeezed in - get it?) that are moved into various configurations, the show is in constant motion, even, at one point, with the couple moving across the screen not unlike a roller coaster.  Similarly, Rhodes' choreography seamlessly slides in and out of the action.  Particularly terrific in this production is the inclusion of "Tick Tock" featuring leggy dance dynamo (and down to earth Kathy) Chryssie Whitehead in an homage to role-creator Donna McKechnie, along with other equally lithe chorus girls who gyrate in silhouette behind silky slips of material. As quickly as they appear, they vanish, just as a night of passion ends when he rolls over and she dreams of being cuddled.  "Side By Side," prominently featured at the Tony Awards, was a much grander affair in the film - longer and better executed - especially the hilarious and astonishing lifting done by Stephen Colbert, Martha Plimpton and Neil Patrick Harris.

The cast is, not too surprisingly, uniformly good, with each individual's strengths being played up and their weaknesses covered well.  Vocally, it is probably no surprise that Broadway regulars Craig Bierko and Aaron Lazar sound the most robust of the males, and they add much to the male-centered numbers.  Their roles are small, but both do wonders with what they have to work with, particularly Bierko, who plays the penultimate "homosexual" scene with a clever and sexy off-handedness.  (That scene has some extra laughs and weight with the very open knowledge of Harris' sexual orientation.)  It took me some time to warm to Jim Walton's Larry, with the actor visibly swinging to the orchestra's playing several times, as if he were attending the performance instead of being in it.  But it became clear during the scenes that surround "The Ladies Who Lunch," with his actions more a defense/response to Joanne's coldness.  And his willingness to be "out there" even at the risk of his wife's disdain makes his command of her when they exit both poignant and believable.  Jon Cryer and Stephen Colbert both have thinner vocal instruments than the rest of the cast, but neither sound horrendous and both make superb use of their finely tuned comedic talents - no short order considering the forces of nature their "wives" are.  Cryer's dry delivery during the pot smoking scene is a smart and riotously funny counterpart to the silliness around him, while Colbert's wide-eyed look only makes his character's sharp observations all the more funny.  Both also have a natural ease with physical humor, which is used to excellent effect here.

Neil Patrick Harris, Jon Cryer and Jennifer Laura Thompson

The much advertised inclusion of TV star Christina Hendricks was definitely worth all of the ink it got.  The girl delivers!  This curvaceous babe is a delicious mix of air head, self-aware sexiness and an underlying shrewdness.  Her April may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she has learned from her experiences with men, and one senses that she is toying with and manipulating them even more than they think they are manipulating her.  She has a character appropriate singing voice to go along with that vapid stare and breathy speaking voice.  In short, get this gal to Broadway and fast!  As Bobby's other two girlfriends, Kathy and Marta, Chryssie Whitehead and Anika Noni Rose are a sensational contrast to each other, which adds to the colorful fabric of the show.  Whitehead manages to make sensible and kind interesting, while one can completely believe that at any second Rose's Marta will go off like a firecracker.  As mentioned, Ms. Whitehead does a superb dance solo, while Rose's assured delivery of "Another Hundred People" is a highlight of the entire production. 

Broadway regulars Jennifer Laura Thompson and Martha Plimpton are truly a joy every single second they are on screen.  Both mine laughs with every line, look and pause, and they both have considerable physical comedy skills.  One could easily see them in a musical about I Love Lucy with Thompson as Lucy and Plimpton as Ethel.  They also work so well with their "husbands" it felt like watching two very real, very flawed marriages unfold before us.  Jill Paice is all sweet Southern charm as Susan, and coyly allows us to see that there is some venom in that sugar.  She also does a nice solo in "Not Getting Married."

Martha Plimpton, Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Colbert

If you ever had any doubt why Patti LuPone and Katie Finneran are beloved and multi-award winning stage stars, this production should clear that up for you.  Finneran's signature laugh and vocal ups and downs are played to hilarious effect throughout the show, but it is her ability to turn serious at the bat of her pretty eyelashes that makes this Amy not just hysterical, but very human.  It goes without saying that her performance of "Not Getting Married" is a solid show stopper.  Meanwhile, Ms. LuPone adds her high voltage presence along with a knack for blending in, too.  And I have no doubt she was as superb as ever live.  But it is her performance as captured on screen that makes me so glad to have seen this version.  I doubt seriously that anyone past maybe the first three rows at the cavernous Avery Fisher Hall could see the best part of her brilliant performance as Joanne.  Sure, her loud, overbearing, boozy qualities probably rang to the rafters.  But the up close shots of her face - with lightning fast betrayals of her breaking strength, and also her almost ravenous taking in of Bobby before her bold proposal - really allowed us to see a vulnerability and years of hiding it that would be missed by most in attendance.  The result is probably the most well-rounded Joanne I've ever seen (though Barbara Walsh in the revival was smashing).  And LuPone's delivery of "The Ladies Who Lunch" gives me shivers even as I write this.  Patti LuPone is one of America's greatest treasures, period.

"Everybody Rise!": Patti LuPone as Joanne

Still, every production of Company hinges on its Bobby, and with the boy wonder of Broadway, Neil Patrick Harris in the role, the show goes to glorious heights.  Like Ms. LuPone, his performance benefits greatly in this medium.  You can see every nuance of emotion every time the camera hones in on his face.  Just look at his eyes, and you can see the truth in this Bobby, even if the rest of his physicality suggests other feelings.  It helps that he is seriously handsome, boyish, but manly, and has a charming ease about him.  Gone is the brooding, moody Bobby of Companys past.  Here we have a Bobby that gives as much as he gets; as demonstrative as he is observational; as close as he is distant.  His Bobby is likable and so easily adaptive, one can understand immediately why these couples of a wide age range are drawn to him equally.  Harris' ease and charm translate well to his dancing and singing.  He may not have the vocal strength of Raul Esparza  or other previous Bobbys, but he is no slouch, either.  His rendition of "Mary Me a Little" may be close to definitive, and his "Being Alive" is as honest as you'll ever see.

Neil Patrick Harris

Perhaps it is Harris' natural charm and real-life baggage that makes us love him so, but it is his charisma and dedication to all things Broadway that is making him a true stage star.  All of that probably influences the audience to adore his Bobby that much more easily.  But it is his considerable skill that makes it truly understandable why his friends are so crushed when he doesn't come to their party, effectively moving on without them.  And we also understand and applaud this Bobby's final relieved smile as he sits alone on a two person love seat.

Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.293

REVIEW: Company

I often blog that I wish I lived in New Yourk, or closer at least, so that I can attend events that only last a very short time, like the Encores! series or the Tony Awards.  One such event was the recent Company In Concert by the New York Philharmonic.  Well, good news for us, one of my most loyal and theatrically savvy readers, Mr. Martins, got to see one of the sold out shows and sent in this review!  Now I can't wait to see it at the movies... buy the DVD...

Review of the April 9 matinee performance of Stephen Sondheim's Company at the Avery Fischer Hall in New York City.  Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes including intermission.  Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Katie Finneran, Anika Noni Rose, Martha Plimpton, Jill Paice, Christina Hendricks, Jon Cryer, Stephen Colbert, Jim Walton, Craig Bierko and Aaron Lazar.  The New York Philharmonic under the baton of Paul Gemignani.  Choreography by Josh Rhodes and direction by Lonny Price.

Grade: A-

The New York Philharmonic’s concert presentation of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s revolutionary musical Company featured an all-star cast of Broadway veterans (Katie Finneran, Craig Beirko, Jim Walton) television stars (Stephen Colbert, Christina Hendricks, Jon Cryer) , and both (Patti LuPone, Martha Plimpton, Anika Noni Rose). Company tells the story of Robert and all his married friends and girlfriends, on his 35th birthday, as presented through a series of vignettes.

Bobby, baby!

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris led this all star cast as Bobby, the perennial bachelor who is afraid of commitment and of being hurt. Harris is no stranger to Sondheim, having starred in the original Broadway cast of Assassins, his experience is apparent as he was able to sing the intricacies of Sondheim’s demanding score. While at times he lacked the vocal power of Dean Jones and Raul Esparza (the original and 2006 revival Bobby, respectively), he was able to pour his emotion into every song, especially “Someone is Waiting”, where Bobby yearns for a woman who is a composite of all his female friends, and “Being Alive”, the powerful anthem where he comes to the conclusion that “alone is alone, not alive” and is ready to face his fear of hurt, and finally find somebody (not some body).

TOP: Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer and Martha Plimpton

BOTTOM: Christina Hendricks and Neil Patrick Harris

The entire production was brilliantly staged, executed and polished. Ironically, for a musical concert presentation, the book scenes were excellently acted, while the singing was sometimes thin and drowned out by the impressive New York Philharmonic due to mic-ing problems and weak voices. Martha Plimpton, however, as the tender and foolish Sarah, was a stand-out who sang beautifully. (She’ll be cast as Joanne in the next revival, mark my words). Christina Hendricks, in her stage debut as the ditzy flight attendant April, brought a sweetness to the role that you couldn’t help fall in love with. Her thin soprano was perfect for “Barcelona”, and Hendricks made the song feel like a conversation with Bobby.

"Not Getting Married": Aaron Lazar and Katie Finneran;

"Another Hundred People": Anika Noni Rose

Katie Finneran stole the first act as the crazed bride-to-be Amy, not only in the hyperactive patter song “Getting Married Today”, but in the book scene that followed. Flubbing the final verse of the song, Finneran played it off well, and still won the heart of the audience. Anika Noni Rose deserves a special mention as the original Marta. Albeit singing the New Yorkers’ anthem “Another Hundred People” in the upper register, resulting in a vocally weak performance, she acted the song so well that her lack of belt and power was easily forgiven.

Isn't it warm, isn't it cozy?

The choreography by Josh Rhodes was clever and refreshing, and Lonny Price’s direction gave a new life to the show as a whole. The direction and choreography came to a huge payoff in “Side by Side by Side/What Would We Do Without You?,” the second act opening. Choosing a vaudevillian theme for the number, it was riveting to see Patti LuPone kick and dance her heart away, and to see Stephen Colbert carry Martha Plimpton and Neil Patrick Harris. The singing was strongest during this number, making it one of the gems of the night.

Patti LuPone and Jim Walton; Patti LuPone: "The Ladies Who Lunch"

Patti LuPone was the highlight of the night, as the acerbic and tough Joanne. Her Joanne was dark and looming – she never truly mingled with the rest of Bobby’s friends, always going the other way when her husband Larry (played convincingly well by Jim Walton) approached. LuPone’s “The Ladies Who Lunch” was one of those breathtaking moments. Not only could she fill the entirety of Avery Fisher Hall (for those who’ve been there, you’ll know this is no easy task), but she also ensured that every phrase and intonation was powerful and conveyed each heart-wrenching pang of vulnerability with ease. As she finished her diatribe with the climatic repletion of “Rise”, desperation was leaking through, shaking one to the soul. I’ll admit to crying as the song came to an end, and as the audience gave Ms. LuPone the night’s largest ovation. Interestingly enough, after discussing the number with group of theater-goers, there was disagreement about the her performance. Some (myself included) loved it wholeheartedly; others felt it lacked a certain spontaneity and emotion. One thing we all agreed upon was that Patti LuPone has amazing talent.

Maestro Paul Gemignani

The true star of the show, however, was Sondheim’s score played by the New York Philharmonic, and conducted by the legendary Paul Gemignani. To hear the score’s original orchestrations by such an  acclaimed orchestra was worth the price of admission and more. Sondheim’s genius came through in ways that the minimalistic John Doyle-helmed 2006 revival didn’t allow. It was fitting that Gemignani and the orchestra received the final bow and a standing ovation. The score to Company and the New York Philharmonic were the real stars of the show.  And that’s what it’s really about, isn’t it?

(Photos by Walter McBride from BroadwayWorld.com)

Seeing a show I haven't reviewed?  Email me and we'll talk about having you be a guest blogger!

Contact me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.224

Best of the Decade: The Best Musical Revivals, Part II

To read about my Best Musical Revivals, numbers 10 - 6, click here!

The past decade has certainly brought a pretty wide spectrum of revivals (even if most of them were be Stephen Sondheim), both in content and quality.  Among the shows that might have been better served by NOT being revived: Grease!, Bells Are Ringing, Finian's Rainbow, Into the Woods, Oklahoma!, La Cage aux Folles (2004), Guys and Dolls.  More interestingly, these shows were decent to great, but just didn't make my top 10.  Honorable mention goes to: The Rocky Horror Show, Little Shop of Horrors, 42nd Street, NINE, La Cage aux Folles (2010), and Sweet Charity (for sheer tenacity and good will).

Here are my Top Five picks for Best Musical Revival of the First Decade of the 21st Century:

5.  West Side Story (580 performances as of August 8, 2010; nominated for Best Revival of a Musical 2009.  Still running at the Palace Theatre.  Directed by Arthur Laurents, choreography by Jerome Robbins re-created by Joey McKneely, and starring Josefina Scaglione, Matt Cavenaugh, Karen Olivo, Cody Green.)

With a score you can't beat, dancing that remains a benchmark on Broadway history and today is still the best, and a classic story, this West Side Story thrilled me from start to finish, and still does.  Staged just as it was when Broadway didn't know what to do with it, the show is still as resonant and timely as it is timeless.  I especially loved Miss Scaglione in her Broadway debut as Maria - a heady mix of innocence, optimism and heartbreak.  And the unsung heroes of the ensemble?  The Jet Girls who really made "Cool" cool.  Some took issue with the addition of whole scenes in Spanish.  Yes, it was uncomfortable, but that was the point, wasn't it?  Think how the Sharks must have felt in an all-English world.  For us it was a few moments of discomfort, for them, the language barrier meant life or death.

The Shark Girls and The Jets

4.  Gypsy (2008) (332 performances at the St. James Theatre; nominated for Best Revival of a Musical 2008.  Starring Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines, directed by Arthur Laurents.)

There is no arguing that Gypsy is a classic.  Did it need to be revived twice in one decade?  No.  But I'm sure glad they did it the second time.  Directed by its original director and book writer, Arthur Laurents, Broadway finally got to see the Gypsy he always envisioned.  True he directed three Roses to Tonys, and no offense to Tyne or Angela, but Patti LuPone IS Rose.  The quintessential Rose, and in a performance that will be talked about as a landmark performance for years to come, and LuPone stopped the show twice - her "Everything's Coming Up Roses" was an absolute thrill ride, and her "Rose's Turn" deserved every mid-show standing ovation it got and more.  And if you were lucky, you got to see her notorious rampage that literally stopped the show.  But what really made this and extra extra special treat of a revival were her two co-stars also delivering definitive performances - Laura Benanti as Louise and Boyd Gaines as Herbie.

Gaines, Benanti and LuPone:

a Gypsy for the ages

3.  South Pacific (997 performances when it closes on August 22, 2010 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center; winner Best Musical Revival 2008.  Directed by Bartlett Sher, and starring Paolo Szot, Kelli O'Hara, Matthew Morrison, Danny Burstein and Loretta Ables Sayre.)

Lincoln Center, when it does it right, REALLY does it right.  And boy did it do well with the first-ever revival of South Pacific.  It was epic on all fronts: a giant cast, a giant staging (a full sized truck, palm trees and a fighter plane? YES! Chandelier?  YAWN), and a stunning, full-sized orchestra that got its due every night as it played, revealed to the audience, one of the most gorgeous overtures written for a Broadway musical.  But if the size and scale of the production not only underscored the enormity of the situation and setting, under the sure and superb direction of Bartlett Sher, the human scale of it was never ever lost, so sharp was the staging, the focus and the detail of every single performance.  Truly, one of the rare times I would have paid more for my ticket.  Even at full price it was a bargain.  Some enchanted evening to be sure, the show has set a very high standard for subsequent revivals.

"I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair!"

2.  Company (246 performances at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre; winner Best Revival of a Musical 2007.  Directed by John Doyle starring Raul Esparza, Barbara Walsh, Elizabeth Stanley, Keith Butterbaugh and Heather Laws.)

With the superb orchestrations of Mary Mitchell Campbell, this minimalist version of the 1970 Sondheim classic worked in a way that other productions have not.  Stripping the show of almost any scenery and most props, and instead letting the musical instruments and the actors playing them tell the story, we got a clarity and a unity that made the plight of one Bobby and his nut job assortment of friends and lovers easy to understand and maybe even relate to.  Raul Esparza gave the performance of his career, making "Being Alive" and absolute anthem to solitude and neediness, and I think he was robbed of a Best Actor Tony.  Similarly, Barbara Walsh's "Ladies Who Lunch" was a definitive version, applauded by no less than its creator, Elaine Stritch.  Doyle's staging was creative and added much meaning to what amounts to a series of disjointed sit-com scenes that also happen to have one of the best theatre scores attached to them.  He made them work as one unit, and really made the full cast numbers like "Side by Side by Side" and "Company" really work.

"You Could Drive a Person Crazy!"

1.  Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (349 performances at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre; nominated for Best Revival of a Musical 2006.  Directed and designed by John Doyle, and starring Patti LuPone, Michael Cerveris, Manoel Felciano, Alexander Gemignani, Mark Jacoby, Donna Lynne Champlin, Lauren Molina, Benjamin Magnusson, John Arbo and Diana DiMarzio.)

A cast of ten, each playing instruments with no music in front of them, one set, very plain and strewn with a odd set of objects, and no one leaving the stage for the entire performance was the direct antithesis of the original, sweeping epic scale original production of Sweeney Todd.  Arguably the best musical ever written (and certainly the pinnacle of Stephen Sondheim's career), this Sweeney was a revelation on all fronts.  The lack of anything visual, framed by the setting - an insane asylum - and a story retold by the patients, from the mind of young Toby who lived through it, added several layers of urgency to the entire affair.  And while there were plenty of laughs to offset the gruesome tale unfolding, the underlying and sometimes in your face violence gave the whole thing an edge.  And the new focus on the words, the deeds and the characters no longer swallowed by a gigantic orchestration or a mammoth set, gave this Sweeney something even the original production lacked: genuine thriller-level chills and thrills.  And its leads, in sharp departure from their predecessors (Patti LuPone as Mrs. Lovett for Angela Lansbury, and Michael Cerveris as Sweeney Todd for Len Cariou), added a youthful, more grounded and utterly terrifying level of intensity.  Ms. LuPone's nonchalant pouring of buckets of blood as the body count rises is scary in so many ways and gave me actual nightmares.  The show also boasted the single Johanna I have ever loved and felt for in the dozens of performances I've seen of the show, Lauren Molina. 

The Sweeney Todd 2006 Company

Although I would hate to see many more shows whittled down to this scale, both this show and Company really brought a new artistry to two musical classics.  And that's why they are numbers 1 and 2.


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Jeff