Audience Member
About 40 years ago my wife and I managed to get credible taken the popular show, 'Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Street.' Despite being relatively newly married, you were able to obtain tickets in the orchestra, fourth-row center. Luckily, graduate studies came with a very nice person, student ticket agency that provided premium tickets at about the price of a neighborhood movie theater. The show was mesmerizing, one of the most intense examples of entertainment we had ever experienced. One of the many aspects that made this evening so special was at the plate contain the original board great test with George Hearn and Angela Lansbury, both in the prime of this stage careers. In the years after that, I've seen many interpretations of the same play have always considered one of Stephen Sondheim's best works. Many performers have undertaken the iconic role of the tonsorial serial killer and his partner the purveyor of the worst meat pies in London. Matter how well their particular interpretation of these roles was performed they could never quite come close to perfection I still attribute my original exposure to the play. Recently however I received a Blu-ray one of my favorite distributors, Shout Factory titled 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert.' As a fan of stage plays in orchestral performances I've usually enjoyed a popular play reinterpreted in the concert format. Those unfamiliar with this motor presentation for a musical are presented as a concert your attention to set design and costuming is minimalistic. Typically some form of outfit related to the main characters is utilized with the sets associated with the story as well as most props are removed leaving only the performers, chorus, and orchestra. Using this format an attractive choice for a producer and director to make, stripping array all enhancements to the entertainment highlighting the power of the performances in the pure emotional impact of the music.
The first things I noticed about the staging of this production were literally how the stage came into telling the story of any character. In most concert performances the majority of the stage areas are devoted to the orchestra brought out of the pit under the main stage lights. The restrictions placed on the performers gathers them to a platform located upstage. These renditions of Sweeney Todd there are the results two main platform areas, one downstate one upstage connected by a series of catwalks in a small set of stairs on either side. These changes may seem minor, but the director, Lonny Price, possessed the imagination and talent to make certain the results would be exciting. He was able to bring the familiar music and lyrics perhaps not equal to my first experience with play, but very close considering this interpretation resulted in an entirely novel way to tell the story. The opening number, 'The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,' is begun by individual members of the chorus joined by several of the secondary cast. Right from these first moments the efficacy of the stage construction becomes evident. The members of the course begin moving from one platform to the other, the pounding of the issues against the catwalks augmenting the percussion of the number. The music spells and intensity as the lyrics become a cacophony of sounds until the spotlight illuminates up stage providing a first look at Sweeney Todd (George Hearn). Like the others you stress all in black, his face, pale his eyes dark and sunken. He spits out the words "Fleet Street" as if they were the foulest expletives possible. Mr. Hearn and his lady, Patti LuPone in the role of Mrs. Lovett I admittedly or decades beyond the intensity or remember their performances for decades ago. Still, the voice is powerful and expressive. We currently live in an age where most performers rely on lip-synching and auto tune modifications that are threatening to make truly live performances and endangered species. This is an abomination against the art form known as singing; the use of a human voice is a musical instrument. So many great musicians if subjected to the artificially imposed mechanics of perfection that these algorithms provide. People like Bob Dylan would
Have their talent obscured and social impact ruined by subjecting his voice order to auto tune. It was the imperfections of his voice that helped us concentrate on the intensity of his lyrics. He didn't win the Nobel Prize perfection of his voice rather for how his lyrics changed the generation. My thoughts turned to mind as I listened to the performances by Mr. Hearn Ms. LuPone. The study, quality of your voice may have been altered by the decades the imperfections only added to the realism of their performances. Them far more believable as a man and woman were wronged by life, surviving in an oppressive, unfair society.
The near constant movement of the chorus added a dynamic quality to this concert performance elevating it about any other example of this format that I have seen. It was a visual representation of the busy streets a poor neighborhood of London. It also visualized the torrent of mental activity buzzing to the mind of Sweeney Todd as he plans his ultimate revenge against the man who had wronged him and his life, Judge Turpin (Timothy Nolen) and his obedient henchmen, the Beadle (John Aler). The mature longings that Mrs. Lovett demonstrates towards Mr. Todd is juxtaposed by the young, the forbidden love between the sailor that saved Mr. Todd, the aptly named Anthony Hope (Davis Gaines), and Joanna (Lisa Vroman), the 16-year-old daughter of Mr. Todd who is currently the adopted ward of the judge. The story never explicitly mentions it but considering the girls age and the lustful intentions of the judge there is no doubt whatsoever that his intentions are a manifestation of Ephebophilia.
Initial scenes between Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett are a delight to watch. The camera angles are imaginative offering various vantage points for the audience that would be impossible sitting in the auditorium seats. It also shows some extreme close-ups allowing the viewer to fully appreciate how even in this consistent format the performers are putting their all into the emotional expressions on their faces. I also found it absorbing to note the exaggerated movements of the ellipse as he achieved both clear enunciation and powerful projection of the lyrics. The scene where Sweeney Todd happens upon Mrs. Lovett's pie shop provides one of the most humorous moments of the film juxtaposed with the moment of such extreme emotional intensity you will sit mesmerized in your seat. Course I am referring to Mrs. Lovett's opening number "The Worst Pies Is in London" followed by the revelation that she knows that Sweeney Todd is Benjamin Barker, the man transported to Australia life to clear the rate the judge's reverse plans. When she takes out a box with the tools of his ball betrayed the holes a razor's handle is sterling silver up to the sky welcoming back his "friends." I will never forget the first time I heard the character of Sweeney Todd shout out the phrase "at last my right arm is complete again." This moment, as shown in this production was every bit as an emotional impact as I remember.
Neil Patrick Harris is a respectable job as a young pitchman, Tobias Ragg. Initially, he is walking the worthless panacea sold by his employer Pirelli (Stanford Olsen) claims his skill as a barber makes him "the King of the barbers, the barber of kings." Mr. Todd challenges him to a contest where the boastful Pirelli Mr. Harris is undeniable to all be realistically cast this character, but he has the energy and drives necessary to multiple appropriately. It becomes critical to the story as Toby is the transitional character first was in the employ of the initial delivery to the shop, winding up as Mrs. Lovett's pitchman and busboy. The most poignant moments in the play the song sung by Mrs. Lovett to Toby, "nothing is going to hurt you." The chemistry between Ms. LuPone and Mr. Harris is palpable cutting through the intrinsically holographic plot points to the hearts of every audience member.
There are two versions of this play present on the Blu-ray disc. The first of the original 4:3 aspect ratio in the second as the video remastered 16:9. Under any normal circumstances, I prefer watching a film in its original aspect ratio. While traditionally this favors the widescreen version this qualifies as an exception. 4:3 was the original aspect used in the recording of the performance. When modified to the 16:9 aspect ratio introduced some stretch artifacts. It does run the gamut from barely noticeable to quite annoying. I did experiment with watching the 4:3 versions and let the function of the television take responsibility for converting the image to its widescreen format. I found that method resulted in a marginally improved result. This might just be a case where you have to accept the Academy ratio to enjoy the optimal [picture quality. The audio will also be considered an anomaly to what we are accustomed to hearing. The audio mix used here was DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 rather than the six channel mix found on the majority of Blu-ray releases. This is another opportunity to explore the features of your system. Most reasonably powered home theater receivers have built in abilities to emulate a relatively broad spectrum of audio emulations. One of the standard programs turns your living room into an auditorium of the theater of various sizes. These can range from a small cellar club to a huge stadium. If you can emulate a Broadway theater, a venue with a typical capacity of around 1,800 you will achieve the closest approximation to the original concert.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/18/23
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Audience Member
A perfect musical. It features great character interaction, witty dialogues, humor and delightful musical numbers.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
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Audience Member
Never get tired of watching this.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
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Audience Member
Four words: " George Hearn" and "Patti LuPone"
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
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Audience Member
I thought it was nicely made!
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Never get tired of watching this.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
Full Review
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