Sweeney Todd: The Demon of Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 drama Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond.
Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 1979 and in the West End in 1980. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Since then there have been many revivals and film adaptations.
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Sweeney Todd's character has its origins in the popular Victoria serial fiction, known as "penny dreadfuls". A story titled The String of Pearls was published in a weekly magazine during the winter of 1846-47. Set in 1785, the story features as the main villain of particular Sweeney Todd and includes all the plot elements used by Sondheim and others since then. The psychopath barber's story proved instantly popular - it turned into a drama before it had even been revealed in the print media. The expanded edition appeared in 1850, an American version in 1852, a new drama in 1865. In the 1870s, Sweeney Todd was a familiar character for most of Victoria's population.
Musical Sondheim, in fact, was based on the frightening Christopher Bond melodrama in 1973, which introduced a psychological background to Todd's crime. In the reincarnation of character Bond, Todd is the victim of a cruel judge who raped his young wife and exiled to Australia. Sondheim was first imagined from the musical version of the story in 1973, after he went to see Bond taking the story at the Royal Theater of Stratford East.
The sophisticated plot and Bond language significantly enhances the dreadful nature of the story. Sondheim once said, "It's hard for that... because [Bond] writes a certain character in a blank verse.He is also incorporated into the plot elements of the Jacobean tragedy and The Count of Monte Cristo. all the different elements that have existed for a few hundred odd years and made it a first-rate game. "
Sondheim felt that the addition of music would greatly increase the size of the drama, turning it into a different theatrical experience, saying later: "What I do for Chris' plays more than improves it.I have a feeling it will be the new animal.The effect is in Stratford East in London and the effect at the Uris Theater in New York are two very different effects, even though it's the same game.That's basically enthralling there because they do not take Sweeney Todd seriously.Our production is wider.Pak Prince gives her a sense of epic, feeling that this is a man of a certain size, not just a crazy case.The music helps to give that dimension. "
Music proved to be a key element behind the influence of Sweeney Todd on the audience. Over eighty percent of the production is set to music, either sung or organized under a dialogue. The score is a large structure, each piece integrating with the other for the good of the whole music machine. Never before or because in his work has Sondheim used music in a very deep capacity for further drama goals.
Sondheim decided to pair one of the most horrible songs (Sweeney Todd's "Epiphany") with the comic "A Little Priest". This pair of songs at the end of Act I is the most significant musical addition that Sondheim made for the Bond story version. In the drama, Sweeney Todd's collapsed mental and subsequent plans for Lovett's meat pies take place in less than half a page of dialogue, too soon to convey a full psychological impact, in the view of scholar Larry A. Brown. The Sondheim version more carefully reveals ideas that develop in the mind of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett.
Sondheim often says that Sweeney Todd is about obsession - and close friends seem to instinctively agree. When Sondheim first played a song from an early version of the show for Judy Prince (the wife of the show's director), she told him: "Oh my God - I do not know this is what [Sweeney Todd ] is about. Grand Guignol This is your own [Your] life story. "
What Sondheim considered a "little horror piece" ended up being a colossal portrait of the Industrial Revolution at the hands of director Prince Hal. At first, Prince was not interested in directing the show; for him it's just another melodrama, not too structurally experimental. Then he discovers a metaphor that extends the story into an essay on the human condition.
At the Uris Theater stage in New York, this horror story turns into a moving steel mountain. Prince's beautiful metaphor for Sweeney Todd is a 19th-century iron foundry moving from Rhode Island and reinstalled on stage, which Jack Kroll criticized precisely described as "part of the cathedral, part factory, partial jail, who dwarfed and degraded the lower-order inhabitants. "
The great scope of the Prince's setting goes beyond Sondheim's intentions. Sondheim admits that his conception of the show differs from Prince: "The metaphor of Hal is that the factory turns out to be Sweeney Todds, it turns out to be people without soul, defeated, and hopeless.That is what drama is playing for him: Sweeney Todd is the product of that age, I think not, Sweeney Todd is a person who is determined to take personal revenge, the way we all are in one way or another, and it has nothing to do with the time he lives in, as far as I know. "
When it comes to casting, Sondheim thinks veteran stage Angela Lansbury will add some necessary comedy to the bleak story as Cockney shopkeeper is crazy, but Lansbury needs to be reassured. He was a star in the late seventies, and when he pointed to Sondheim, "Your show is not called Nellie Lovett, it's called Sweeney Todd, and I'm the second banana." To convince him, Sondheim "auditioned," wrote several songs for him, including a terrible grinding song, "A Little Priest." And he gave her the key of the character, saying "I want Mrs. Lovett to have the character of the music hall." Lansbury, who grew up in the British music house, soon got it. "Not just a music hall," he said, "but a bad music hall." After he was officially confirmed in the role, he enjoyed the occasion, saying that he loved "the extraordinary intelligence and intelligence of the lyrics [Sondheim]."
Len Cariou is Sondheim's personal choice to play a tortured barber. In preparation for the role, Cariou (who was studying with a voice teacher at the time) asked Sondheim what kind of range he should have in the role. Cariou told him that he was ready to give Sondheim some octaves to deal with, and Sondheim immediately replied, "That would be more than enough."
With the secret of Harold Prince in the gigantic production staging, Lansbury and Len Cariou's co-star largely rely on the development of their character. They work together in all their scenes, both of which are creative actors who are experienced in delivering intense performances. "The cuckoo style plays Mrs Lovett, that's pretty much Angela," Cariou later said. "He created that character." Lansbury recalled, "I just ran with it." The wide openness of my description relates to my sinking or swimming in that direction.I just imagine, I've done everything on Broadway, I might as well go with Mistress Lovett. "
It said that on the opening night of Harold Clurman, American theater critics, rushed to Schuyler Chapin, former Metropolitan Opera general manager, demanding to know why he did not wear it on the Met. To which Chapin replied: "I will wear it like a shot if I have a chance There will be screams and shouts but I will not care, because it is opera, a modern American opera."
Maps Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Synopsis
Prolog
The people of London, acting as the Greek choirs to lift comments throughout the drama, dropping dead bodies into a shallow grave. Sweeney Todd goes forwards ("The Ballad of Sweeney Todd"), and introduces the game, organizing several months before the funeral.
Act Me
In 1846, young sailors Anthony Hope and Sweeney Todd, whom Anthony recently rescued at sea and were friends, anchored in London, where a crazy half-beggar Women who sexually asked them, appeared to recognize Todd briefly ("No Place Like London "). Todd tells Anthony about his troubled past as a na'_ve barber, when a crooked judge sent him out to pursue his wife ("Barbers and Wife"). Leaving Anthony, Todd enters a butcher shop on Fleet Street, where the owner, Mrs. Lovett, deplored the scarcity of meat ("Worst Pies in London"). When Todd asks about his empty apartment upstairs, he reveals that former tenant, Benjamin Barker, was transported out of England on false charges by Judge Turpin, who, along with his maid, Beadle Bamford, then lured Barker's wife Lucy to the judge's home. and raped him ("Poor Thing"). Todd's reaction revealed that he himself was Benjamin Barker. Promising to keep his secret, Lovett explains that Lucy poisoned herself and that their infant daughter, Johanna, became Judge's ward. Todd swore revenge on Judge and Beadle, and Mrs. Lovett presents Todd with his silver razor-blade collection, who persuades Todd to take his old profession ("My friend" and "Balada Sweeney Todd - Reprise"). Elsewhere, Anthony sees a beautiful blond girl singing outside the window ("Green Finch and Linnet Bird"), and Beggar Woman informs him that his name is Johanna. Unaware that Johanna is the daughter of her friend Todd, Anthony is immediately hooked ("Ah, Miss") and she promises to return for her, even when Judge and Beadle drove him out ("Johanna").
In the crowded London marketplace, the faux-Italian barber Adolfo Pirelli and his simple-minded assistant, Tobias Ragg, provide a remarkable remedy for hair loss ("Pirelli's Miracle Elixir"). Todd and Lovett soon arrived; Todd exposes elixir as a pretense, challenges Pirelli to a shave competition, and easily wins ("The Contest"), invites the impressed, looking at Beadle with a free shave ("The Ballad of Sweeney Todd - Reprise 2"). A few days later, Hakim Turpin whipped himself in a frenzy over the ever-increasing desire for Johanna, but he decided to marry her own. ("Johanna - Mea Culpa"). Todd eagerly awaited Beadle's arrival, but Mrs Lovett tried to calm him down ("Wait"). When Anthony told Todd about his plan to ask Johanna to elope with her, Todd, eager to see her daughter again, agreed to let them use the barbershop as a hiding house. When Anthony left, Pirelli and Tobias entered, and Mrs. Lovett took Toby down to buy a cake. Alone with Todd, Pirelli reveals that he was actually an Irishman named Daniel O'Higgins, Todd's assistant fifteen years ago, who knew Todd's true identity. When O'Higgins tried to blackmail his former employer, however, Todd injured and hid it, then cut his throat ("Pirelli's Death" and "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd - Reprise 3"). Meanwhile, Johanna and Anthony plan their elopement ("Kiss Me"), while Beadle recommends Todd's service to the Judge, so he can better win Johanna's attention ("Ladies in Their Sensitivities").
Initially panicked when he learned of Pirelli's murder, Ny. Lovett grabs the remaining coin purse and then discusses with Todd planning to dispose of the corpse. Suddenly, the Judge entered; Todd quickly placed her and lulled her in casual conversation ("Pretty Women"). Before Todd can kill the Judge, however, Anthony returns to explain specifically about Johanna's plans and she, accidentally informs the Judge, who storms out and vows never to return. Todd encourages Anthony to go in a madness, determines that he will kill all future customers, because everyone deserves to die: the rich are punished for their corruption, and the poor are rid of their misery ("Epiphany"). Mrs Lovett cunningly says that they use Todd's meat in his meat pie, and Todd is happy to agree ("A Little Priest").
Act II
A few weeks later, Mrs. Lovett has become a thriving business, and Toby now works there as a waitress ("God, That's Good!"). Todd and Mrs. Lovett gets a specially designed mechanical barber chair that allows Todd to kill his client and then sends their bodies straight through the entrance to the basement's baseball bilinghouse. Mundanely slits the throat of his customer, Todd is desperate about ever seeing Johanna again, while Anthony discovers that Johanna is missing ("Johanna-Quartet"), who has been locked in a mental hospital by Hakim. After a hard day, Mrs. Lovett dreams of retirement by the beach ("By the Sea"), but Todd retains his grudge. Anthony arrives to ask Todd to help get rid of Johanna, and Todd, revitalizes, designs a plan to save her by asking Anthony to pose as a wig maker who wants to buy hair inmates ("Wigmaker's Sequence" and "The Ballad... - Reprise 4"). Todd then sends a secret letter to inform Judge Anthony's plans, in hopes of luring the Judge back to his shop ("The Letter").
At the cake shop, Toby reveals his suspicions about Todd and his own desire to protect Mrs. Lovett ("Not While I Am"). When he recognized Mr Lovett's Pirelli coin purse, he turned his attention by showing him the bake house, instructing him how the meat grinder and the oven worked, before locking him there. Upstairs, he meets Beadle in his harmonium, asked by the neighbors to investigate the strange smoke emitted by the chimney's chimney. Mrs. Lovett surrounded the Beadle until Todd again offered the Beadle the "free shaver" promised to him; Mrs. Lovett has loudly played her harmonium to cover up the Beadle screams above, as Todd kills her ("Parlor Songs"). In the basement, Toby finds human remains in the pie, just as the Beadle's fresh body falls through the channel. Mrs. Lovett then tells Todd that Toby has discovered their secret, and they plan to kill him.
Anthony arrives at the hospital to rescue Johanna, but can not force himself to shoot Jonas Fogg, the crazy asylum owner who tries to stop them; Johanna did it herself, grabbed her pistol. Now the inmate of the asylum plunged into the streets, gladly declaring the end of the world, while Todd and Mrs. Lovett hunts Toby, and beggars are afraid of what happened to Beadle ("Burned City/Search"). Anthony and Johanna in disguise arrive to find the empty Todd store. Anthony goes looking for a coach after he and Johanna reassert their love ("Ah Miss - Reprise"). Left alone, Johanna hears Beggar's Woman coming in and she's hiding. The Beggar Woman seems to recognize the room, but, before he can understand it, the panicked Todd appears to greet the beggar Woman who approached and cut him off, sending him to the parachute shortly before the Judge blew himself up ("Beggar Woman's Lullaby"). Todd convinced the Judge that Johanna repented and the Judge asked for a quick cologne splash. Once he has the Judge in his chair, Todd calms but then suddenly mocks him. The judge recognized him as "Benjamin Barker!" shortly before Todd slashed his throat and sent him sliding down through the parachute ("The Judge's Return"). The cloaked Johanna finally stood, horrified, from her hiding place, startling Todd. Todd decided to kill him, too, before Mrs. Lovett screamed from the bakehouse downstairs, giving Johanna a break for escape. Downstairs, Mrs. Lovett was battling the dying Judge, who was clawing. She then tries to drag the beggar's body into the oven, but Todd arrives and sees a lifeless face clearly for the first time: Beggar is his wife, Lucy. Todd is surprised that Lovett confesses that he does not tell Lucy's story to him completely because he loves himself. Todd then pretends to forgive, dancing manly with Lovett to push him into a raging fire from the oven, burning him alive. Full of despair, Todd hugged the dead Lucy. Toby, driven completely insane and with his hair now white in shock, now rambling on his own rhymes, taking Todd's fallen razor, and cutting Todd's throat. When Anthony, Johanna, and some policemen broke into the bakehouse, Todd fell dead and Toby dropped the razor, ignoring the others, while unknowingly turning the meat grinder ("Final Scene").
Epilogue
The citizens, soon joined the ghost of Todd, Mrs. Lovett, and the others, read "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd." The company came out, with Todd and Mrs. Lovett became the last one, with Todd coming out with a closed door.
Music number
Song notes:
- Although it has been cut in the preview for long reasons, these numbers are included in Original Cast Recording. They have been restored in the next production.
- ? The song was moved to after "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (Reprise 3) " in the 2000 and 2014 New York Philharmonic concerts, and at Original Broadway Cast Album.
- Ã,§ This number was written for original London production and was first recorded for the 2000 New York Philharmonic concert performance.
- The song "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and some of its regents are titled in several productions by their first lyrics to distinguish them from each other:
- Source: SondheimGuide.com & amp; InternetBroadwayDatabase
The main role
Casts
Productions
Original Broadway production and tour
The original production premiered on Broadway at the Uris Theater on 1 March 1979 and closed on June 29, 1980 after 557 performances and 19 previews. Directed by Hal Prince and choreographer by Larry Fuller, the beautiful design is by Eugene Lee, costumes by Franne Lee and lighting by Ken Billington. The players include Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett, Len Cariou as Todd, Victor Garber as Anthony, Sarah Rice as Johanna, Merle Louise as Beggar, Ken Jennings as Tobias, Edmund Lyndeck as Turpin Judge, Joaquin Romaguera as Pirelli, and Jack Eric Williams as Beadle Bamford. Production was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning eight including Best Musical. Dorothy Loudon and George Hearn succeeded Lansbury and Cariou on March 4, 1980.
The first US national tour began on October 24, 1980, in Washington, D.C. and ended in August 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Lansbury joined Hearn and this version was recorded during the engagement of Los Angeles and aired on The Entertainment Channel (one of the predecessors of A & amp; E) today on September 12, 1982. This performance will later be repeated at Showtime and PBS (last as part of the Big Show series ); it was later released on home video via Turner Home Entertainment, and on DVD from Warner Home Video.
The North American tour began on 23 February 1982, in Wilmington, Delaware, and ended on July 17, 1982, in Toronto, Ontario. June Havoc and Ross Petty starred.
Original London production
The first London production opened on July 2, 1980, at the West End Theater Royal, Drury Lane, starring Denis Quilley and Sheila Hancock along with Andrew C. Wadsworth as Anthony, Mandy More as Johanna, Michael Staniforth as Tobias, Austin Kent as Turpin Judge, Dilys Watling as Beggar, David Wheldon-Williams as Beadle Bamford, Oz Clarke as Jonas Fogg, and John Aron as Pirelli. The event lasted for 157 shows. Despite receiving mixed reviews, production won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 1980. Production closed on 14 November 1980.
1989 Broadway Awakening
The first Broadway revival opened on Sept. 14, 1989 at Circle in the Square Theater, and closed on 25 February 1990 after 189 performances and 46 previews. It was produced by Theodore Mann, directed by Susan H. Schulman, with choreography by Michael Lichtefeld. The cast featured Bob Gunton (Sweeney Todd), Beth Fowler (Mrs. Lovett), Eddie Korbich (Tobias Ragg), Jim Walton (Anthony Hope) and David Barron (Judge Turpin). Unlike the Broadway version, production is designed on a relatively familiar and familiar scale referred to as "Teeny Todd." It was originally produced Off-Broadway by the York Theater Company on the Heavenly Rest Church from 31 March 1989 to 29 April 1989. This production received four Tony Award nominations: for Best Awakening from Musical, Best Actor in Music, Best Actress in Musical and Best Musical Direction , but failed to win anything.
London's 1993 revival
In 1993, the show received its first London resurgence at the Royal National Theater. Production opened initially at the Cottesloe Theater on June 2, 1993, and then moved to the Lyttleton Theater on December 16, 1993, playing at the treasury and closing on June 1, 1994. The design of the show was slightly altered to fit the prosperum arch theater space for the Lyttleton Theater. The director is Declan Donnellan and the production of Cottesloe Theater starring Alun Armstrong as Todd and Julia McKenzie as Mrs. Lovett, with Adrian Lester as Anthony, Barry James as Beadle Bamford and Denis Quilley (who had started the title role in original London production in 1980) as a Turpin Judge. When the show is transferred, Quilley replaces Armstrong in the title role. Sondheim praised Donnellan for the "small room" approach to the show, which was the original vision of the composer for the song. "This production received the Olivier Awards for Best Music Awakening, Best Actor in Musical (Armstrong) and Best Actress in Musical (McKenzie), as well as Best Picture nominee and two for Best Supporting Performances in the musical.
1995 Barcelona production
On 5 April 1995 it was aired in Catalan at the Poliorama theater of Barcelona (later moved to Apollo), in the production of the Catalonia Government Drama Center. The libretto was adapted by Roser Batalla Roger Pena, and directed by Mario Gas. The cast consists of Constantino Romero as Todd, Vicky PeÃÆ'Âa as Mrs.Lovett, Ma. Josep Peris as Johanna, Muntsa River as Tobias, Pep Molina as Anthony and Xavier Ribera-Vall as Turpin Judge, with a standing ovation and audience applause (Sondheim himself traveled to Barcelona after hearing of his success and was pleased with production). Then move to Madrid. The event received more than fifteen awards.
2004 London revival
In 2004, John Doyle directed a musical awakening at the Watermill Theater in Newbury, England, which lasted from July 27, 2004 to October 9, 2004. The production was later transferred to Trafalgar Studios in the West End and then the Ambassadors Theater. This production is famous for not having an orchestra, with a cast of 10 people playing their own scores on musical instruments they carry on stage. This marks the first time in nearly ten years of Sondheim performances have been presented in the commercial West End. It stars Paul Hegarty as Todd, Karen Mann as Mrs. Lovett, Rebecca Jackson as The Beggar Woman, Sam Kenyon as Tobias, Rebecca Jenkins as Johanna, David Ricardo-Pearce as Anthony and Colin Wakefield as Turpin Judge. This production was closed on 5 February 2005.
In spring 2006, the production of UK tours with Jason Donovan as Todd and Harriet Thorpe as Mrs. Lovett.
Broadway Revival 2005
Production version of John Doyle West End transferred to Broadway, opened on November 3, 2005 at Eugene O'Neill Theater with new players, all of whom play their own instruments, as has been done in London. The players consist of: Patti LuPone (Mrs. Lovett/Tuba/Percussion), Michael Cerveris (Todd/Guitar), Manoel Felciano (Tobias/Viola/Klarinet/Piano), Alexander Gemignani (Beadle/Piano/Trumpet), Lauren Molina ( Johanna/Cello), Benjamin Magnuson (Anthony/Cello/Piano), Mark Jacoby (Turpin/Trumpet/Percussion), Donna Lynne Champlin (Pirelli/Accordion/Flute/Piano), Diana DiMarzio (Beggar/Clarinet) and John Arbo Fogg/Double bass). Production took place for 349 shows and 35 previews, and was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two: Best Direction of a Musical for Doyle and Best Orchestrations for Sarah Travis who has reconstructed the original setting of Jonathan Tunick to match the ten players and orchestra. Due to the small musical scale, it costs $ 3.5 million to make, a small amount compared to many Broadway musicals and reclaimed in nineteen weeks. The national tour based on the Broadway Doyle production began on August 30, 2007 with Judy Kaye (who temporarily replaced LuPone in the Broadway run) as Mrs. Lovett and David Hess as Todd. Alexander Gemignani also played a leading role for the Toronto tour in November 2007.
2012 West End Awakening
Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton starred in a new production of the show being played at The Chichester Festival Theater, which runs from September 24 to November 5, 2011. Directed by Jonathan Kent, the cast includes Ball as Todd, Staunton as Mrs. Lovett, James McConville as Tobias, John Bowe as Turpin Judge, Robert Burt as Pirelli, Luke Brady as Anthony, Gillian Kirkpatrick as Lucy Barker, Lucy May Barker as Johanna and Peter Polycarpou as Beadle Bamford. It was primarily set in the 1930s instead of 1846 and returned the often-cut song "Johanna (Mea Culpa)". This production received positive reviews from both critics and audiences and transferred to Adelphi Theater in the West End in 2012 for a limited period from March 10 to September 22, 2012. Comedian Jason Manford made his musical debut as Pirelli from 2 to 28 July and 15 August 18 and 24 , 2012 while Robert Burt appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. West End transfers received six winning Laurence Olivier Award nominations; Best Musical Revival, Best Actor in Music for Ball and Best Actress in Musical for Staunton.
London 2015 Revival
Cameron Mackintosh produces West End transfers from Tooting Arts Club's production event which takes place at Harrington's Pie Shop in Tooting, London in October and November 2014. This production takes place at a re-created cake shop for the show on Shaftesbury Avenue and ran from 19 March until May 16, 2015. The players include Jeremy Secomb as Sweeney Todd, Siobhan McCarthy as Mrs. Lovett, Nadim Naaman as Anthony, Ian Mowat as Beadle, Duncan Smith as Judge, Kiara Jay as Pirelli and Beggar Woman, Joseph Taylor as Tobias and Zoe Doano as Johanna.
2015 South African Rise
Pieter Toerien and KickstArt produce production at the Pieter Toerien Monte Casino Theater in Johannesburg, which runs from October 10 to December 13, 2015 before being transferred to the Cape Town Theater in Cape Town from 19 February to 9 April 2016. Directed by Steven Defined and designed by Greg King , productions starring Jonathan Roxmouth (Sweeney Todd), Charon Williams-Ros (Mrs Lovett), Michael Richard (Judge Turpin), Jaco van Rensburg (Tobias), Anne Marie Clulow (Beggar Woman), Adam Pelkowitz (Beadle Bamford), Cameron Botha (Anthony), Sanli Jooste (Johanna), Germandt Geldenhuys (Adolfo Pirelli) and Weslee Swain Lauder (Jonas Fogg), with ensembles consisting of Candice van Litsenborgh, Luciano Zuppa, Pauline du Plessis, Claire Simonis, Megan Rigby, Schoeman Smit and Earl Gregory. The musical director for the show is Rowan Bakker, with costume designs by Neil Stuart Harris and lighting by Tina le Roux.
2017 Awakening Outside Broadway
Production of Tooting Arts Club was moved to Off-Broadway, transforming the Barrow Street Theater into a re-creation of Harrington's cake shop. Preview begins February 14, 2017 before officially opening the night on March 1st. Like the London production, the transfers are directed by Bill Buckhurst, designed by Simon Kenny and produced by Rachel Edwards, Jenny Gersten, Seaview Productions, and Nate Koch, executive producer, in collaboration with Barrow Street Theater. The opening night opening featured four cast members of London: Jeremy Secomb as Sweeney Todd, Siobhan McCarthy as Mrs. Lovett, Duncan Smith as Judge and, Joseph Taylor as Tobias, with Brad Oscar as Beadle, Betsy Morgan as Pirelli and Beggar Woman, Matt Doyle as Anthony and Alex Finke as Johanna. In April 2017, five cast members left the show, replaced by Norm Lewis as Sweeney Todd, Carolee Carmello as Mrs. Lovett, John-Michael Lyles as Tobias, Stacie Bono as The Beggar Woman and Pirelli, and Jamie Jackson as a Turpin Judge. After Norm Lewis left, he was replaced by Hugh Panaro in a titular role. Other changes include Michael James Leslie as Turpin Judge. Production has been extended to February 2018.
Other famous productions
1987 Australian production
Opera State of South Australia presented Australia's first professional production in Adelaide in September 1987. Directed by Gale Edwards, he featured Lyndon Terracini as Todd, Nancye Hayes as Mrs. Lovett and Peter Cousens as Anthony. The following month, the Melbourne Theater Company version opened at the Playhouse in Melbourne, directed by Roger Hodgman with Peter Carroll as Todd, Geraldine Turner as Mrs. Lovett and Jon Ewing as Turpin Judges. Melbourne production toured Sydney and Brisbane in 1988.
- 1994 Los Angeles Awakening
In 1994, the East West Players in Los Angeles held a revival event directed by Tim Dang, featuring the Asia-Pacific players of America. It was also the first time the show was presented in an intimate house (Equity 99-seat). Production received 5 Ovation Awards including Franklin Levy Award for Best Musical (Smaller Theater) and Best Director (Musical) for Dang.
- 1997 Finnish National Opera, Helsinki
Finnish National Opera Production in 1997 premiered on September 19, 1997. Directed by Staffan Aspegren and initiated Sauli Tiilikainen (Sweeney todd) and Ritva Auvinen (Mrs. Lovett). Translated by Juice Leskinen
- Kennedy Center 2002 Production
As part of the Sondheim Kennedy Center Celebration, Sweeney Todd ran from 10 May 2002 to 30 June 2002 at the Eisenhower Theater, starring Brian Stokes Mitchell as Todd, Christine Baranski as Mrs. Lovett, Hugh Panaro as Anthony, Walter Charles (member of the original cast), as Turpin and Celia Keenan-Bolger Judge as Johanna. The film was directed by Christopher Ashley with choreography by Daniel Pelzig.
- 2007 Dublin production
Irish Tenor David Shannon starred as Todd in the highly successful Dublin production of the show at the Gate Theater, which runs from April 2007 to June 2007. Production uses a minimalist approach: the cast consists of a small ensemble of 14 players, and the orchestra is a seven piece band. The display of production is quite abstract. The Sunday Times writes that "The black background of David Farley's rough work and minimalist minimalism from Rick Fisher's lighting implies self-conscious grief, with Shannon-style makeup, a long leather coat and a grim expression.. "When a character dies, flour is poured over them.
- 2008 Gothenburg production
Production of Gothenburg 2008 aired on May 15, 2008 at The GÃÆ'¶teborg Opera. This event is a collaboration with West End International Ltd. The performers featured Michael McCarthy as Sweeney Todd and Rosemary Ashe as Mrs Lovett and David Shannon currently as Anthony. The show lasted four weeks and ended on June 8, 2008.
- 2010 National Youth Musical Theater, London
In 2010, fifty members of the National Youth Musical Theater held a production in the Underground Village as part of the 80th anniversary celebration of Stephen Sondheim in London. NYMT took the show, directed by Martin Constantine, out of the conventional theater room and performed it in a converted Victorian warehouse in the East End of the city. The company revived the show in 2011 for the International Youth Arts Festival at the Rose Theater in Kingston upon Thames.
- 2011 Paris production
The new large production opened in April 2011 in ThÃÆ'Â © ÃÆ' Â ¢ tre du ChÃÆ' telet (Paris), the first to give Sondheim a place on the stage of France with their production of A Little Night Music. Directed by Lee Blakeley with choreography by Lorena Randi and design by Tanya McAllin. The performers featured Rod Gilfry and Franco Pomponi (Sweeney Todd) and Caroline O'Connor (Mrs Lovett).
- 2013 DUCTAC, Centrepoint Theater, Dubai
Directed by Joseph Fowler with staging by Cressida Carre and design by Jamie Todd. The cast featured Simeon Truby as (Sweeney Todd) and Natacza Boon (Mrs Lovett)
- 2014 Boston production
The Lyric Stage Company of Boston produced the event in September and October 2014 with Artistic Director of the company Spiro Veloudos staging and directing the show. The players include Christopher Chew as Sweeney Todd and Amelia Broome as Mrs. Lovett.
- 2014 Quebec City Production
Quebec City based ThÃÆ'Â © ÃÆ' Â ¢ Â ¢ DÃ © Ã… © cibel produced the world premiere of the French language. Translated by JoÃÆ' ¨ lle Bond and directed by Louis Morin, the show is played from October 28 to November 8, 2014 on the Capitole de QuÃÆ' Â © bec. The players include Renaud Paradis as Sweeney Todd, Katee Julien as Mrs. Lovett, Jean Petitclerc as Turpin Judge, Sabrina Ferland as Beggar, Pierre-Olivier Grondin as Anthony Hope, AndrÃÆ'Ã… © ane Bouladier as Johanna, David NoÃÆ'½ as Tobias, Jonathan Gagnon as Beadle and Mathieu Samson as Pirelli.
Versi prog metal 2014, Landless Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.
Sondheim granted the DC Landless Theater Company license to set the "prog metal version" of Sweeney Todd , the first rock orchestra of the score. Production plays at DC's Warehouse Theater in August 2014. Directed by Melissa Baughman. Music Direction by Charles W. Johnson. Prog Metal Orchestration by The Fleet Street Collective (Andrew Lloyd Baughman, Spencer Blevins, Charles Johnson, Lance LaRue, Ray Shaw, Alex Vallejo, Andrew Siddle). The cast featured lead singer Nina Osegueda (A Sound of Thunder) metal band as Mrs. Lovett, Andrew Lloyd Baughman (Diamond Dead) as Sweeney Todd, Rob Bradley (Aries and Thrillkiller) as Pirelli, and Irene Jericho (Cassandra Syndrome) as Beggar Women. The event received three nominations for the Helen Hayes Awards 2015 for Best Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Melissa Baughman), and Outstanding Music Director (Charles W. Johnson).
Welsh 2015 National Opera Production
In autumn 2015, Welsh National Opera and Wales Millennium Center produce co-production with West Yorkshire Playhouse and Royal Exchange Manchester as part of the WNO "Madness" season. Directed by James Brining and designed by Colin Richmond, production was set in the 1970/80s, and performed in Cardiff before touring Southampton, Bristol, Llandudno, Oxford, Liverpool, Birmingham before returning to Cardiff. It was based on earlier smaller Brining productions from the Dundee Rep in 2010, the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Royal Exchange Manchester in 2013. The players included David Arnsperger as Sweeney Todd and Janis Kelly as Mrs. Lovett.
2015-2016 Australasia Productions
In 2015, the Victoria Opera company in Australia put up a 10-day musical opera production at the Melbourne Arts Center. Production was then transferred to New Zealand the following year for a limited tour, visiting major cities in the country, Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.
This production starred Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Sweeney Todd, Antoinette Halloran as Mrs. Lovett, Phillip Rhodes as Turpin Judge, Kanen Breen as Beadle Bamford (later replaced by Andrew Glover during New Zealand tour), David Rogers-Smith as Adolfo Pirelli (replaced by Robert Tucker in New Zealand), Ross Hannaford as Tobias Ragg (replaced by Joel Grainger in New Zealand), Blake Bowden as Anthony Hope (replacing James Benjamin Rodgers in New Zealand), Amelia Berry as Johanna, Dimity Shepherd as a Woman Beggar (replaced by Helen Medlyn in New Zealand), and Jeremy Kleeman as Jonas Fogg.
Opera house production
The first opera company to mount Sweeney Todd was the Houston Grand Opera in production directed by the Prince Prince, which runs from June 14, 1984 to June 24, 1984 for a total of 10 shows. Performed by John DeMain, production uses exquisite design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Franne Lee, and lighting design by Ken Billington. The players include Timothy Nolen in the title role, Joyce Castle as Mrs. Lovett, Cris Groenendaal as Anthony, Lee Merrill as Johanna, Will Roy as Turpin Judge, and Barry Busse as The Beadle.
In 1984 the show was presented by New York City Opera. Prince Prince re-created the staging using a simple set of 2nd national tour. It was well received and most of the shows were sold out. It was brought back for limited runs in 1986 and 2004. Particularly the 2004 production starred Elaine Paige as Mrs. Lovett. The event was also performed by the Northern Opera in 1998 in the UK starring Steven Page and Beverley Klein, directed by David McVicar and performed by James Holmes.
In early 2000, Sweeney Todd received receipts with opera companies throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, Israel, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK and Australia. Bryn Terfel, the popular Welsh bass-baritone, played a major role in the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2002, with Judith Christian, David Cangelosi, Timothy Nolen, Bonaventure Bottone, Celena Shaffer and Nathan Gunn. It was performed at the Royal Opera House in London as part of the Royal Opera (December 2003-January 2004), starring Sir Thomas Allen as Todd, Felicity Palmer as Mrs. Lovett and supporting players included Rosalind Plowright, Robert Tear and Jonathan Veira as Turpin Judges. The Finnish National Opera featured Sweeney Todd in 1997-98. The Israeli National Opera has done Sweeney Todd twice. The Icelandic Opera performed Sweeney Todd in the fall of 2004, the first time in Iceland. On September 12, 2015, Sweeney Todd opened at Opera San Francisco with Brian Mulligan as Todd, Stephanie Blythe as Mrs. Lovett, Matthew Grills as Tobias, Heidi Stober as Johanna, Elliot Madore as Anthony and Elizabeth Futral as Beggar/Lucy Woman.
Concert production
A "Rise!" The concert version was performed at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theater on 12-14 March 1999 with Kelsey Grammer as Todd, Christine Baranski as Mrs. Lovett, Davis Gaines as Anthony, Neil Patrick Harris as Tobias, Melissa Manchester as The Beggar Woman, Roland Rusinek as The Beadle, Dale Kristien as Johanna and Ken Howard as Turpin Judge.
London's Royal Festival Hall held two shows on February 13, 2000, starring Len Cariou as Todd, Judy Kaye as Mrs. Lovett, and Davis Gaines as Anthony. The 4-day concert took place in July 2007 in the same venue as Bryn Terfel, Maria Friedman, Daniel Boys and Philip Quast.
Director Lonny Price directed the production of a semi-titled "Sweeney Todd" concert on May 4-6, 2000 at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, New York with the New York Philharmonic. The players include George Hearn (last-minute replacement for Bryn Terfel), Patti LuPone, Neil Patrick Harris, Davis Gaines, John Aler, Paul Plishka, Heidi Grant Murphy, Stanford Olsen and Audra McDonald. The concert also played in San Francisco, from July 19, 2001 to July 21, with the San Francisco Symphony. Hearn and LuPone are joined once again by Harris, Aler, and Olsen as well as new additions to Victoria Clark, Lisa Vroman and Timothy Nolen. This production is recorded for PBS broadcasts. The same production was played at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago on 24 August 2001, with most players from previous concerts, except for Plishka and Clark, replaced by Sherrill Milnes and Hollis Resnik.
In 2014, Price directed the production of a new concert, returning to Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic on March 5-8 with Bryn Terfel as Todd, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lovett, Philip Quast as Turpin Judge, Jeff Blumenkrantz as The Beadle, Christian Borle as Pirelli, Kyle Brenn as Tobias, Jay Armstrong Johnson as Anthony, Erin Mackey as Johanna and Audra McDonald and Bryonha Marie Parham shared the role of The Beggar Woman. McDonald was not announced as a Beggar Woman: she was a surprise, her name was revealed only during the first show. On Saturday's show, Bryonha Marie Parham plays the role of Beggar Woman, while McDonald plays it in another show. The concert was filmed again to be broadcast on PBS as part of their Live from Lincoln Center series and first aired on September 26, 2014. The production was moved to the London Coliseum Theater for 13 shows from March 30 to April 12, 2015. The cast includes original members such as Terfel, Thompson and Quast, as well as new actors like John Owen-Jones and Rosalie Craig.
Movie adaptation
An adaptation of Sweeney Todd, co-produced by DreamWorks and Warner Bros., was released on December 21, 2007. Tim Burton was directed from a scenario by John Logan. It starred Johnny Depp as Todd (Depp received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for his performance), Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Alan Rickman as Turpin Judge, Sacha Baron Cohen as Signor Pirelli, Jamie Campbell Bower as Anthony Hope, Laura Michelle Kelly as The Beggar Woman, Jayne Wisener as Johanna, Ed Sanders as Toby, and Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford. The film received high praise from critics and theater audience and also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Movie Movie - Musical or Comedy.
Themes
Stephen Sondheim believes that Sweeney Todd is a story of revenge and how he spends a vengeful person. He has asserted, "... what's really about the show is an obsession." Unlike most previous representations of the story, the musical avoids a simple view of demonic evil. Instead, the "emotional and psychological depth" of the character is examined, so Sweeney Todd is understood to be the victim and the perpetrator in the 'great black hole' of mankind.
Prince Prince believes the musical becomes the allegory of capitalism and his selfish qualities: "factory... a hard struggle to get out of the classroom where you were born...". The Industrial Revolution, a fitting arrangement for the plot, highlights this with inhumane production and mass consumption characteristics.
Both Sondheim and Prince's interpretations present a non-debilitating view of man. Therefore, audience consumption by the audience can be explained by a "socially guilty" sensation or "a deep desire in everyone's heart" to investigate the dark side of ourselves.
Music analysis
The Sondheim score is one of the most complicated, with an orchestration by longtime collaborator Jonathan Tunick. Relying heavily on rival harmonization and richness, his compositional style has been compared to Maurice Ravel, Sergei Prokofiev, and Bernard Herrmann. Sondheim also made use of the ancient Dies Irae in an eponymous ballad that runs along the scores, then sounded in a musical inversion, and accompanied "Epiphany". According to Raymond Knapp, "Most scene changes bring back 'The Ballad of Sweeney Todd', which includes the fast and slow version of 'Dies Irae'". He also relies heavily on his main motives - at least twenty different can be identified across scores.
Depending on how and where the show is displayed, it is sometimes considered an opera. Sondheim himself has described the work as "black operetta", and indeed, only about 20% of the performances are spoken; the rest is sung.
In his essay for the 2005 player album, Jeremy Sams finds it most relevant to compare Sondheim's works with operas that also explore the soul of a mad killer or social outcast, such as Alban Berg Wozzeck (based on play by Georg BÃÆ'¼chner) and Benjamin Britten Peter Grimes (1945). On the other hand, it can be seen as a precursor to the subsequent trend of musicals based on horror themes, such as The Phantom of the Opera (1986), Jekyll & amp; Hyde (1997), Little Shop of Horrors (1982) and Dance of the Vampires (1997), using trend descriptions, "grusical", as labels commercial. The theater critic and writer Martin Gottfried writes about this: "What is so much singing making it an opera? Opera is not just about everything sung There is a kind of opera music, a song, a performance There are opera audiences, and there is operatic sensibility. i> house . Sweeney Todd has an occasional operating moment, but the whole music has a chest record, harmonious language, its mobility, and the end of Broadway theater. "
Donal Henahan wrote an essay on The New York Times about the 1984 Opera New York City production: "Difficulty with Sweeney is not a weak opera singer unable to fill the State Theater with a voice - Miss Elias, who is making his debut at City Opera, has been sung for years in Metropolitan, a much bigger house.Other sounds in players are also known for quantity.Instead, it seems to me that the effort to actually sing the Sondheim score , which relies heavily on the dramatic parlando or the style of speech, in particular shows how far away from the operatic vocal tradition the opera is located in. Score, quite effectively in its own way, demands things from opera singers who opera singers as a class reluctant to produce.
Orchestration
The original Broadway hole consists of 26 orchestras. (Number of percussion may vary for different events, although percussion books are written for two players).
- String: 6 Violins, 2 Viola, 2 Celli, 1 Double Bass, 1 Harp
- Brass: 2 Trumpet, 1 French Horn, 2 Trombone, 1 Trombone Bass
- Keyboard: 1 Organ/Celesta
- Woodwinds: Reed 1: Flute, Piccolo.
- Reed 2: Bb and Eb Clarinet, Flute, Piccolo.
- Reed 3: Bass Clarinet, Bb Clarinet.
- Reed 4: Oboe, English Horn.
- Reed 5: Bassoon.
- Percussion: (2 Players) 3 Timpani, Bass Drum, Xylophone, Vibraphone, Snare Drum, Tom Toms, Bass Drum with Pedal, Orchestra Bells, Tam-Tam, Chimes, 4 Suspended Cuts, Wood Blocks, Crash Cymbal, Bell Trees, Rebana, Washers
Alternative orchestration is available from Music Theater International for 9 orchestras. It was written by Jonathan Tunick for Production London 1993.
- String: 1 Violin, 1 Cello, 1 Double Bass
- Brass: 1 Trumpet on Bb, 1 French Horn
- Woodwinds: Reed 1: Clarinet; Reed 2: Bassoon
- Keyboard
- Percussion: Bass Drum, Bell Tree, Bells, Chimes, Crotales, Rachet, Side Drum, Snare Drum, Swiss Bell, Tam-Tam, Rebana, Temple Block, Triangle, Tympani, Vibraphone, Whistle, Wood Block, Xylophone
The original orchestrator Jonathan Tunick revised his great orchestration for the 1993 London revival, adding a smoother and grittier texture to the score setting.
London 2012 Resurrection: 15 orchestras.
- String: 2 Violin, 1 Viola, 1 Cello, 1 Double Bass
- Brass: 1 French Horn, 2 Trumpet, 1 Trombone
- Woodwinds:
- Reed 1: Flute, Clarinet.
- Reed 2: Oboe, Cor Anglais.
- Reed 3: Clarinet.
- Reed 4: Bassoon.
- Keyboard
- Percussion
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
Original London production
1989 Broadway Awakening
London revival 1993
The 2005 London Revival
Broadway Revival 2005
London London 2012 revival
Recording and broadcast
Original Broadway cast footage was released by RCA Red Seal in 1979. This included Judge's "Johanna" and the gearing contest of Act I, which had been cut in the preview. It's selected by the National Recording Registry for preservation in 2013.
A performance from the 1980 tour company was recorded before the audience in 1981 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles during the first national tour, with additional taping performed at the empty theater for a special television show. The resulting program was broadcast on September 12, 1982, on The Entertainment Channel. It was later released on VHS and DVD.
In July 1994, the Royal Theater National Awakening production starring Denis Quilley and Julia McKenzie was broadcast by the BBC. The production of Northern Opera was also broadcast by the BBC on March 30, 1998 as the production of the Royal Opera House in 2003.
In 1995, the Barcelona players recorded an album sung in Catalan. The production is also broadcast on Spanish television.
The New York City 2000 concert was recorded and released in a 2-CD deluxe set. This recording was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
In 2001, the same concert was held in San Francisco with the same leads and minor cast changes. It was also recorded and broadcast on PBS, and then released to VHS and DVD in 2001.
The revival of Broadway 2005 was also recorded. The producers initially only planned the "highlights" version of a single disk; However, they soon realize that they have recorded more music than can fit on one disc and are not financially feasible to bring the players back to re-record. The following songs were cut: "Sequence Wigmaker", "The Letter", "Parlor Songs", "City on Fire", and half of the last sequence (which included "The Judge's Return"). This recording was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
The 2012 London resurrection was recorded and released on April 2, 2012 in the UK and April 10, 2012 in the United States.
References
External links
- Sweeney Todd the Musical , London's Adelphi Theater
- Sweeney Todd on the Broadway Internet Database
- Sweeney Todd on The Stephen Sondheim Reference Guide
- Sweeney Todd at Sondheim.com
- Sweeney Todd on the Music Theater International website
- Sweeney Todd: School Edition on the Music Theater International website
- Sweeney Todd Music Theater Warwick 2008 production
- Stephen Sondheim "The Story So Far" podcast series produced by Sony BMG Masterworks
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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