Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece SWEENEY TODD is superlatively revived on Broadway in its full gory glory

• By drediman
• April 10, 2023
• No Comments

It’s been an uncommonly strong year for musical revivals this Broadway season. On the heels of the remarkable productions of Into the Woods and Parade comes another superlative Sondheim revival — arguably the late composer/lyricist’s masterpiece Sweeney Todd. It’s perhaps the crowning achievement of an excellent slate of contenders (Lincoln Center Theater’s anticipated heavily revised revival of Camelot has yet to open). Based on Christopher Bond’s 1970 play of the same name and set on the grimy streets of Victorian London, the musical tells the story of a barber who single-mindedly seeks revenge for the wrongs committed against him.

Thomas Kail’s full throttle production is a far cry from the pocket-sized productions that have become the norm for the musical as of late, at least here in New York (notably, the intimate and immersive 2017 production at the Barrow Street Theatre, and John Doyle’s 2005 Broadway revival with actors doubling as musicians). The current revival on the Great White Way restores the 1979 musical to its original scale and full gory glory. Both grand and distilled in its storytelling, Kail’s production is a masterful display of a director’s ability to shape and focus an audience’s experience in the theater. He brings transparency to the psychological fragility of the characters — most of whom spend much of the musical on edge in emotionally fraught states — resulting in a Sweeney Todd that works bloody brilliantly as a psychological thriller. Also contributing handsomely are Steven Hoggett’s viscerally responsive choreography, as well as Alex Lacamoire’s resuscitation of Jonathan Tunick’s majestic original orchestrations. Indeed, by and large, this is the best sounding Sweeney Todd I’ve encountered outside of an opera house.

In terms of casting, recording artist Josh Groban and Tony-winner Annaleigh Ashford are admittedly not the first names to come to mind. Happily, they make the iconic roles of Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett their own, putting their own distinctive stamp on the characters. Groban is perhaps the finest sung Sweeney I’ve seen (again, at least outside of an opera house), and he imbues the title role with a subdued, steadily simmering quality that makes his ultimate descent into murderous madness that much more compelling. Ashford balances Groban’s brooding performance with a captivating showcase of comic genius. Both lusty and smart, her hilariously physical and imminently present Mrs. Lovett is the engine that runs the show. Other standouts include the Ruthie Ann Miles’ exquisitely wrought Beggar Woman, Jamie Jackson’s particularly lecherous Judge Turpin, and Maria Bilbao’s meticulously sung, mentally unstable Joanna.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

SWEENEY TODD
Broadway, Musical
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
2 hours, 45 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run