[SkyBleu526]

I have seen Sweeney Todd in concert and a few clips from the 1982 version. I have yet to see the movie, I only have the CD.

Now, I know in the movie Toby is a child. I have heard in the 1982 version, he was supposed to be a young man around 20, but "simple as a baby lamb" I think is the Mrs. Lovett quote.

My question is, were all stage versions of Toby supposed to simple-minded young men and the movie version made the character a child? Or, at some point, did the stage version of Toby's character become a child too?

[mastachen]

I think it's the first one, but don't quote me on that.

There's been a lot of debate whether Toby is actually a mentally slow man or just a dim little boy.

[dasiy_babes]

I can't remember where but I *think* I read an article/interview thing where Sondheim said he did originally intend Toby to be a child but the demands of the stage show/and singing etc would be too much for a kid of that age on stage so I think the character age was changed slightly.

But when it came to the movie it would be a lot easier for them to use a kid so they went back to the original Toby as a young pre-teen.

^^Now I'm pretty sure I didn't just make that up, but as I say I can't remember where it was from so don't quote me on that one

[ConverseSneaker]

I always personally felt that Toby was a young boy about 15 or so.

[Pannic]

I think they just cast Ken Jennings originally because the role is too vocally demanding for your typical teenager. I mean, Ken Jennings was really, really short... I think the character himself is a kid. Just not the actor, in most cases.

[mercurialasaka]

Well I can't say for certain what's the "official interpretation" but all of the productions I've seen lately including the one I was in used a young teenager and played it more towards the simple-minded angle. Its really too emotionally challenging a role for someone younger then thirteen or fourteen to cary off unless you have some incredibly mature and talented pre-teen. I have a friend who's playing the part right now who is 18 so it really can fluctuate between early teens to early twenties. As in all things, it depends on the director's vision of the role.

[Monsieur D'Arque]

But the person must at least look young. To make it too Rain Man or like Randy Hickey, Earl's brother on "My Name Is Earl," would be grotesque.

[pish123c]

[Monsieur D'Arque]

I mean, to make him too old or too physically large.

[pish123c]

You have a point, then. It'd be interesting to see an older or "physically larger" Toby, though. It'd really push the envelope, but it could make the character that much more tragic. I think I'd have to see it performed that way to really form an opinion about it.

[benjivaudeville]

[Little_Nell]

[musikal_geek]