Sweeney Todd

In some ways I feel that it is a terrible thing to say that one of the favorite things I have done since arriving in Paris is to attend a performance of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd at Chatelet, the Theatre Musical de Paris.

The pictures below, which are taken from the Internet (sorry they do not enlarge well), give you some sense of the visual aspects of the production.  What they cannot do is provide a sense of the incredible music, which made the production shine.  The cast was accompanied by a full orchestra, and the actors . . . the actors were divine.  I have seen Angela Lansbury sing the role of Mrs. Lovett, but Caroline O'Connor was certainly her match in every way.  All of the major cast members, with one exception, were superb.  You could hear every word, every note of every song.  The majors were brought in for the run, but the chorus was comprised of local talent--incredible local talent.

When the curtain went up, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that we would be dealing with a fixed set.  In the original production, set pieces were rolled on and off stage as needed.  Turned out that this was not a handicap at all.  The director's staging was brilliant.  At one point the chorus morphed on stage into the inmates in Bedlam.  The effect was stunning.  I can't even begin to describe the staging of "More Hot Pies," the opening number of the second act.  It had everything, full speed, half speed, slow motion that played beautifully opposite the part of the number that has Mrs. Lovett singing with Sweeney Todd as they planned how they would deliver the bodies of his (dead) customers to the pie cookhouse.

The only disappointment in the production was the old beggar woman, who of course plays a key role in the story.  Her singing and staging was just awful.  It was the only sour note in the entire production.

Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd

This shot gives you a sense of the set.  In this scene, Sweeney Todd has Judge Turpin

in his chair for the first time.  Below, Mrs. Lovett and Toby sit in the parlor drinking gin.

The Worst Pies in London

Toby Hawking Pirelli's Miracle Elixir

The Competition between Pirelli and Sweeney Todd

This was a bloody, bloody, production.  When Sweeney slit his customers throats, the blood

squirted several feet toward the audience.  Twice during the production, Mrs. Lovett

brought buckets of blood to the front of the stage and poured them into little culverts

that flowed toward the front of the stage.  Little rivers of blood everywhere.

One of the sweetest moments in the show.  Toby singing "Nothing's Gonna Harm You" to

Mrs. Lovett.  She is about to lock him in the bakehouse, which will drive him mad as he discovers

the truth about Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies.

A shot of the brilliant, brilliant chorus.  Amazing singers.

This stage picture forms when Sweeney Todd writes Judge Turpin to tell him that the 

young sailor, Antony, plans to steel Joanna away from Fogg's Asylum in order

to elope with her.  As Sweeney writes, the person at stage left sings from a letter that,

as the song progresses, is passed from hand to hand and voice to voice
until Judge Turpin walks on stage right, receives the note, and sings the signature.
Brilliant.

Lest you think I am overselling the show, read the review from the New York Times.  This production is all that and a bag of chips.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/arts/04iht-loomis04.html

For some reason I can't get the web address to post as a hyperlink.  Copy it and paste it into your web browser to see the review.