Sweeney Todd Review with Sutton Foster and Aaron Tveit: Miscast or Worth it?

[@kningb]

Thanks for your review! I’m going to see the show Friday and can’t wait! Glad to hear that the naysayers were wrong because I love Aaron Tveit and Joe Locke. I haven’t actually seen Sutton Foster before, so looking forward to that as well.

[@Linyenwa]

Seeing people talk about Joe Locke on Broadway still feels very surreal, meant in the best way possible.

[@ellenspear50]

I first saw Sutton Foster in Flight of the Conchords, a comedy musical show starring two New Zealanders, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. She was adorable as Bret's girlfriend in a few episodes.

[@kningb]

I saw the show on 2/16 and it was fantastic! Not miscast AT ALL. Sutton Foster absolutely stole the show. There aren’t enough superlatives to express how good she is in this part. Aaron Tveit broke about 3 different times because she was being so funny and outrageous. It was awesome. I thought Aaron was excellent as well. His voice sounded appropriate for the tone of the show and was flawless as always. He definitely had some grittiness in there. The show exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend seeing it with this cast if you have the opportunity.

[@luckyleprechaun-e7h]

they don't seem like their in love? omg. who online is saying such a comment? I am not trying to be negative-but truthfully-someone who is saying such a thing as a critique of the show or the actors has a major misunderstanding of the show and the world of the show. from the moment Benjamin Barker is away and his wife is invited to the party at judge Turpin's is when love officially dies in SWEENEY TODD. come on now. what part of what happens to his wife that night do people not get? what part of Johanna being taken and kept in the cage of her room in judge Turpin's house like that linnet bird-and what must have been happening to her over the years-do people not see? this is a fascinating, misguided, and devastating criticism it would seem to me. Look at Sweeney himself-he has been so hollowed out by the horrors he has endured over the years, that "love" is no longer his stock in trade or even something he entertains anymore. he is myopically focused on revenge and punishing those who have ruined his chance at life.. and mrs. Lovett-? love is not the first card she plays in life either. I get that she is taken with Sweeney/Benjamin-i think he turns her on, and I think she sees that it is as close to a traditional relationship as she could get in this life-an old married couple who murder and are cannibals together to keep a roof over their heads. but to say that she is "in love" is a very naive understanding of what is going on there emotionally with her. as well as a misunderstanding of the Industrial Revolution and the class system in London at this time. I don't think people have an understanding of just how desperate these times really were for people. again-they resort to murdering innocent people to use as meat in the pies that they then sell at their bakery. who does this? someone hoping to "fall in love"? again, I am being kind when I say that to think those 2 ideas have anything to do with each other is extremely naive as to what is really happening in this terrible story. this kind of thinking is as naive as that "barber and his wife" that Sweeney so tragically sings of at the end right before his own tragic. and that lyric about being "naive" that he sings to himself I always find truly heartbreaking and incredibly devastating. he's admonishing himself for actually once upon a time believing in love, and putting trust in the world, and how the world will treat you. on the deepest level, do I find it tragic that life has brought Benjamin Barker to such a place where beauty and virtue are useless against the cruelties of the world and others. hearing there are folks being critical because the actors don't "seem like they're really in love" shocks me. it scares and saddens me that people can watch the events happening right in front of them-and not understand the devastation that is happening. are modern audiences completely numbed to violence and tragedy at this point? because it is a musical do people go to some happy musical theatre place and not really see or hear the story they are being told and shown?I worry about such a disconnect in people. I find the events of SWEENEY TODD truly shocking. when I think about all the things that happen in it-omg-it is such a cruel story. nobody wins. people are abused, tossed around, and then lose out and/or die. sorry to go on about this-but I was so utterly shocked to hear that people online were critiquing SWEENEY TODD in this way. thanks for posting. I enjoyed your review. and thinking and writing about this idea of love in SWEENEY TODD, I find fascinating. I am glad I thought about this tonight. it makes me respect Stephen Sondheim even more when I look at what he is doing in this piece. incredible!

[@ChimandKad]

Lol- Reddit!

[@luckyleprechaun-e7h]

@@ChimandKad thanks for responding. and I am suddenly so mortified to have written such a long essay here. forgive me. I just started writing and then hit send and didn't even proof or go back. I don't normally do such a thing. I really do apologize. thank you for being kind and cool. a rarity on KZbin commentary. thanks.

[@susanmarie2231]

In the mid 1980s, I was in the chorus of “Sweeney Todd” with Michigan Opera Theatre. Cast: Sweeney - David Cryer (Jon’s father). Mrs. Lovett - Judy Kaye. Joanna - Rebecca Luker (RIP). It was a great experience for me.

[@ChimandKad]

That’s amazing!

[@gracebaumgarten8900]

I saw the show Friday. I agree with much of your thoughts and observations. I am also a huge Aaron Tveit fan, and have seen him in various venues. I was unsure of what to expect but I knew he’d do a great job. I feel he totally transformed into Sweeney; his walk, accent, voice register, appearance, and of course his voice. The low register I feel added to his creepiness and angst. He utilized it to inhabit the character. I might not have recognized it if I had my eyes closed. I missed Aaron’s melodic, soaring voice but this wasn’t that kind of show. I felt it matched what he was trying to portray. And I thought Sutton was absolutely over the top hilarious. Aaron is very respectful of personal space and boundaries which made this especially funny. Her intrusion of his space added to his affect of mixed feelings and reluctance towards having this relationship. Thanks for your thoughtful review.

[@ChimandKad]

Your point about Aaron’s boundaries vs Sutton’s intrusiveness is spot on! Thanks for watching and commenting! Nice analysis!

[@capnramsey68]

When i saw the photo, they looked very serious. I just heard Worst Pies In London. She's hysterical. Thank goodness. I think Angela Lansbury would be proud 😊 it sounds like Aaron is bringing his own thing to the character. He's not Josh or Len but he's solid in the role, nit an easy one but he rises to the occasion and i applaud that.

[@politemenace]

I've had the chance to see both Sutton and Aaron twice in the roles now (by sheer luck) and I totally agree with your assessment. I really appreciate what they're both bringing to the show and I think Aaron's brooding take on the role is really moving at times. The way he evolves further and further into Sweeney's madness from the top of act one to the end of the show was powerful to witness. I thought, as a Sweeney purist, him being a tenor would bother me more, but he has a truly beautiful voice and the chops to back it up. I would see this again in a heartbeat.

[@evanpeay]

i agree with your review....aaron/sutton/joe/etc.....were amazing

[@KarlaJourney]

Thats great that you get to see so many shows....I love Sutton...seen her so many times....

[@IngridBergquist-g3i]

I'm going to see it Wednesday the 21st at 1pm. My daughter is 13 and this is one of her favorite shows right now and she begged me for tickets for Xmas! We're so excited! She'll be stoked to see your review. Thanks!

[@ChimandKad]

She’s lucky! Hope you both have fun!

[@pun2961]

Idk if you can answer this question, but I saw this show on January 10th. I was really excited for the 26 piece orchestra but when I looked into the pit I counted something like 12 or 13 people. Were they just hidden from my view or do they sometimes not have the full 26 piece orchestra?

[@ChimandKad]

The website still says, “Featuring a 26 piece orchestra”. A lot of times people “double”, meaning they play let’s say a clarinet and a bass clarinet and even a flute part. So it may be semantics as to whether it is 26 instruments vs 26 people making up the orchestra. Last time we took pictures of the orchestra pit, but this time we didn’t.

[@pun2961]

@@ChimandKad did it seem like there were 26 people when you took pics? Thanks for responding by the way!

[@JG-uu1oj]

Miscast