Anthony

Pamina · Anthony

A friend of mine hates the role of Anthony. He says:

"Anthony is just whiny the entire time, he never does anything that is his own idea, and his part is really 2-dimensional."

I don't believe this at all! I mean Anthony is no Sweeney but he's not awful. Help me convince my friend that Anthony is a good role! I've mentioned the great numbers he gets to be a part of but it seems my friend is talking about character development.

ActingDude17

Not only does Anthony have many amazing character songs ("Johanna", the duets with Johanna, etc.), but, the way I see the show, his youth also represents what Sweeney has lost. Anthony is a very powerful symbol.

Disney-Bway27

^ What he said. Anthony's a beastly part.

Really, though, if your friend wants a crappy role, tell him to look at Raoul in POTO...

dolbinau

I somewhat agree with your friend. Although I'm pretty sure his character development (or lack thereof) is intentional.

thegirlfromack

Anthany isn't really whiney... he's a love-struck musical theatre character who is young. If that defines "whiney" then yes, Anthany is whiney along with other characters considered "drips." I don't think Anthany has to be a "drip" character unless your friend decides to play him that way.

Barberous

He has the potential to be a pretty fun character. For example, if he's played as 1000% virtuous and innocent (even though he's a sailor! Shades of G&S??) you can do fun things with this:

Anthony: We'd best not wait until Monday -
Johanna: (sleazy) Sir, I concur, and fully too!
Anthony: (oblivious) It isn't right. We'd best be married on Sunday.

And, if your Johanna is Betsy Joslyn-esque, it'd be hilarious to hear Anthony's horrified "Oh, Mr Todd, she's in there with those screeching, gibbering maniacs!"

That's just one way. You could play him more straight... there's the potential for some interesting character moments, such as when he finds he can't shoot Fogg and then the 'sweet' girl he loves does it instead. Or when he's singing the 'Ah, Miss' reprise about how they're going to be happy together - does he still believe it by this point in the show? Similarly to what ActingDude17 said, he could be symbolic of Sweeney's descent from idealism to despair. Or if he stays upbeat and optimistic the whole time, the audience can have a laugh at him while seeing that it's actually quite disturbing that hope looks ridiculous in the world of Sweeney Todd.

WickedToo

I like Anthony's character and would audition for him if our High School decided to do Sweeney Todd.

Pamina	Anthony A friend of mine hates the role of Anthony. He says: "Anthony is just whiny the entire time, he never does anything that is his own idea, and his part is really 2-dimensional." I don't believe this at all! I mean Anthony is no Sweeney but he's not awful. Help me convince my friend that Anthony is a good role! I've mentioned the great numbers he gets to be a part of but it seems my friend is talking about character development.
ActingDude17	Not only does Anthony have many amazing character songs ("Johanna", the duets with Johanna, etc.), but, the way I see the show, his youth also represents what Sweeney has lost. Anthony is a very powerful symbol.
Disney-Bway27	^ What he said. Anthony's a beastly part. Really, though, if your friend wants a crappy role, tell him to look at Raoul in POTO...
dolbinau	I somewhat agree with your friend. Although I'm pretty sure his character development (or lack thereof) is intentional.
thegirlfromack	Anthany isn't really whiney... he's a love-struck musical theatre character who is young. If that defines "whiney" then yes, Anthany is whiney along with other characters considered "drips." I don't think Anthany has to be a "drip" character unless your friend decides to play him that way.
Barberous	He has the potential to be a pretty fun character. For example, if he's played as 1000% virtuous and innocent (even though he's a sailor! Shades of G&S??) you can do fun things with this: Anthony: We'd best not wait until Monday - Johanna: (sleazy) Sir, I concur, and fully too! Anthony: (oblivious) It isn't right. We'd best be married on Sunday. And, if your Johanna is Betsy Joslyn-esque, it'd be hilarious to hear Anthony's horrified "Oh, Mr Todd, she's in there with those screeching, gibbering maniacs!" That's just one way. You could play him more straight... there's the potential for some interesting character moments, such as when he finds he can't shoot Fogg and then the 'sweet' girl he loves does it instead. Or when he's singing the 'Ah, Miss' reprise about how they're going to be happy together - does he still believe it by this point in the show? Similarly to what ActingDude17 said, he could be symbolic of Sweeney's descent from idealism to despair. Or if he stays upbeat and optimistic the whole time, the audience can have a laugh at him while seeing that it's actually quite disturbing that hope looks ridiculous in the world of Sweeney Todd.
WickedToo	I like Anthony's character and would audition for him if our High School decided to do Sweeney Todd.

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Anthony