Word: sondheims
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Stephen Sondheim...
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is rarely attempted by amateurs. Like all Stephen Sondheim musicals it has tricky lyrics, complex orchestrations and a plot that's more than a little strange. Three hours spent watching a barber who cuts people's throats and a baker who turns the corpses into meat pies may make some audience members queasy. Sweeney Todd is by far the most operatic and most complex of Sondheim's shows. The production currently at the Loeb Ex is a brilliant reminder why the show is one of his best...
...what makes this production of Sweeney Todd such a joy to watch is that everyone in the cast can not only act but they can actually sing Sondheim's tortuous lyrics. Particularly notable are Joel Derfner as Tobias, Carolyn Rendell as the Beggar Woman and Adam Feldman as Beadle Bamford. Derfner is almost a little too campy and needed to project more but his wide blue eyes and clear tenor are perfect for the waif befriended by Mrs. Lovett. Rendell, a Crimson contributing reporter, is a terrific actor and the complexity of her music allows you to forgive the occasional...
...Sondheim's score, though lean, cleverly adapts American styles, adding a frighteningly ironic twist though lyrics which portray anything but traditional American sentiments...
Unlike other Sondheim musicals, however, the score is not the towering star of the evening. John Weidman's book is excellent, and provides many of the best moments of the evening...