[YouGotsToLovett]

Okay, I didn't see this topic here, so if there is one, then I'm blind...

The question is pretty straight forward, how did you get into Sweeney Todd.

I think I wanted to know what the song (God That's Good) was called because I saw it off Jersey Girl, and I couldn't keep say "God That's Good" and I wanted the other words to it. Then later I was reading about
Alan Rickman, and saw that he was going to be playing in Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp and Helelna Bonham Carter. I was all like, "WOOT". SO I started to watch some clips of the songs and immediately began to like it. Soon enough, I became obsessed, singing Mrs Lovett's songs when I'm alone in my room... I even read the whole script!

Now here I am, listening to the whole musical concert on YouTube every time i'm online.

And that's how it all happened...

[Sweeney Hyde]

I had always been aware of the show but I never really knew much about it until the 2005 revival was announced...I became interested...got the revival recording and fell in love. Then I purchased the script and loved it. I then got the DVD with Angela and George and became obsessed. Finaly, they rereleased the two CD OBCR set, digitally remastered, and I bought it...now it is the most listened to recording on my iTunes.

[what_the_heck013]

I saw Sweeney Todd in Los Angeles on a cold and rainy night. The production starred Kelsey Grammer, Christine Baranski, and Neil Patrick Harris. I was rather young then and didn't get back into it until I downloaded the OBC soon after I joined here. It became my favorite musical once I had really studied the musical on a deeper level and really got to appreciate its genius.

[kozafluitmusique]

One of my friends mentioned it to me.
And then one of my other friends did.

I still need to get the OBC...

[Salome]

I saw the George Hearn/Angela Lansbury production on Tv as a girl.

[shakalakababy]

when the revival came out i'd say

[RTTugger1977]

My 8th grade drama teacher showed us the Hearn/Lansbury version way back when, thus corrupting me because at the time, like I said before, the thing I mainly knew Angela Lansbury for was "Murder, She Wrote"...

Now THERE'S an idea...Jessica Fletcher vs. Mrs. Lovett.

[Pannic]

I forget when I first got interested in Sweeney Todd. About a year ago I started getting into musical theatre and started looking up random shows. I guess Sweeney Todd was one I looked up.

[Dvarg]

Excerpts from the diary I briefly kept:

[bean_C4U]

I was in a production last summer, playing Tobias

[Paula74]

I feel like I may have seen some version on television...my guess with Angela Lansbury. But I barely remember it if I did.

When I first got into musicals, I raided the library's collection of cast recordings. I remember borrowing "Sweeney Todd," but it didn't really click with a girl who'd been raised on "Brigadoon," "The Sound of Music," and "Camelot."

After hearing Hugh Panaro sing "Johanna," I revisited it and saw the revival on Broadway...which I really enjoyed.

[Vice]

A fellow CATS fan introduced me. I then saw "Worst Pies in London" on a showing of Broadway's Lost Treasures, and fell in love.

[Xack]

I heard about it from a drama teacher a couple years ago, I listened to some of it on itunes and bought the OBC right away. A little while later I found the DVD with George Hearn and Angela Lansbury in a Barnes and Noble. I grabbed it and ran to buy it. It was the only thing I listened to for months on end, then I bought assassins.

[Guinevere]

I've known about the show since I was a little kid. My brother owned the cast album. I can remember sitting on his bed listening to it with his huge headphones on. I would be looking at the album cover at the same time. I was always kind of scared of the front of it! Then he moved. So, I know longer got a chance to experience it. A few years later, I bought the CD, and all I had to do was hear "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and I remembered why I liked it so much!

[EponineMNFF]

This is totally lame, but I loved that movie Jersey Girl (I think I was the only one who loved it, actually) and I sort of registered Sweeney Todd into the back of my mind.

When I started taking voice lessons, my teacher told me that I'd make a good Mrs. Lovett, and I started singing "By the Sea" and "The Worst Pies in London."

I was in New York a few months later, checked out the revival and fell in love with it. <3

[The REAL Ciaron]

My parents were obsessed with it having seen the OBC many times. It's always been in my life.

[tragre6945]

I happened to see the 2005 Revival Soundtrack sitting at a music store under the Showtunes section. I saw the cover and the title and thought: "Hmm, Demon Barber? Let's check this out!" So began my passionate love affair with Stephen Sondheim.

[Berger]

I was watching the broadway special on PBS a few years ago it sounded like an interesting show so I got the cd and i fell in love.

[bwaydisaster]

My best friend was cast in it about three years back and she sent me a few of the songs she had to learn. That's how I was introduced. I didnt really begin to like it until the beginning of this year.

[pish123c]

I just watched the video a few weeks ago, actually. Had the recordings a little longer than that.

[xsophiex]

I saw a feature film on the BBC i think it was a while ago. Then I remember seeing it on Youtube as a musical, I already knew the story so I thought I'd check it out.


Plus it's Sondheim.
I have to listen to anything of his, because I know I'll like it.

[ActingDude17]

I saw a college production last night (first time seeing anything Sweeney Todd) and loved it! I'm already in love with the show.

[belloftheball]

I saw the revival cast perform at the Tony's a few years back and I thought to myself, "I should look that up..."

However many years later, my drama teacher showed the DVD w/ Angela and George in class (this was like a month ago). I borrowed the OBC recording from the library.

The rest (is there a rest? I guess it's a recent thing!) is history.

Plus, after listening to "Worst Pies in London" and "Johanna," how can you not love it?

[SweeneyLovett]

my choir teacher got me into this. he showed us the first 25 minutes of the Angela & George version in Choir last month, i think, but we still haven't finished it yet coz he hasn't showed it to us AT ALL since then. he wants us to read the script first so we know what they're saying, but I know the entire thing! why can't he just show us the movie and get it over with? is what i wanna know

[krisavalon]

I mentioned to one of my friends a while back that I was not a fan of Sondheim, and so he encouraged me to check out Sweeney Todd, saying that it's a good place to start for people who haven't warmed up to Sondheim's style. To my surprise, I became hooked.

[ErikProuvaire]

I wqas bored one day and reading about random musicals on wikipedia. I came across the page for Sweeney Todd and read the summary. It seemed interesting, so I bought the Revival Cast Recording. I've been obsessed ever since...

[freakycallbackgirl]

My one friend, who is like my big brother, is OBSESSED with it. He played Sweeney like two years ago (and wants his production company to do it again so he can play it again with ME as Johanna. He's a little crazy, I don't look like a Johanna but I like the part) and he kept telling me to listening to the music. My friend Taylor had the Revival cast CD and she made me a copy. I listened to it and learned "Green Finch and Linnet Bird". I sang it without background music at an audition for him and he was floored cause I finally listened to it. My uncle didn't know what to get me for christmas last year and my friend suggested the DVD of Sweeney Todd with Angela Landsbury and that's what I got...so yea...That's how I got into Sweeney

[postmodern-mango-salsa]

I play piano, and used to I went to the music store ALL the time. Well, I was rather partial to looking through the musicals, and all of the sudden I see this book that says "Sweeney Todd" on the cover, and the logo scares me half to death (I was like.... really really young) so I was kind of.... "Oh, that's interesting."

Few years ago, I was at the library, and I saw the book of Sweeney Todd (the libretto, whatever you call it) and I checked it out. I read the first part of it, and eventually I was like: I gotta listen to this. Reading isn't doing anything.

So I listened to some of it on Amazon, and ever since I always wanted the CD, but I could never seem to keep money long enough.

Obsessed? I didn't become obsessed until maybe last year when Sweeney Todd was on the Tony Awards. Just got the revival CD a few weeks ago, and I love it

[theatre_grl]

I had heard about Sweeney and bought a movie, which was in a musical section but turned out not to be at all related to the musical (i watched 10 min, then couldnt stand the gore).
I then looked up some things on YouTube, which i didnt really like at first (I fist saw an ametuer version of the Ballad of Sweeney Todd, it was so extreme I rejected it)
So I was exposed to Sweeney, but pretty unsure about it
I didnt really become obsessed about Sweeney until this year when I heard the movie was coming out and started looking up everything Sweeney again (This time was better, I watched it with Landsbury and Hearn, then read the libretto and saw the concert version)

[DontDoSadnessxx]

My chorus teacher is obsessed. Told me to listen to it about a month ago. So I bought the obc and can't stop listening to it.
I also like to scare the crap out of my friends who have never heard it by putting on the first song and turning the volume up
hahaha
im so mean
but its such a great show <33


oh and im sorry because this will sound so bitchy but its just a pet peeve of mine... its a cast recording, not a soundtrack! unless you're referring to a movie its not a soundtrack.
sorry =]

[rytoast25]

i had seen jersey girl and my brother had told me about it before that. One day i was in barnes and noble and i got the revival cd and i have been hooked ever since.

[Joshua]

[rytoast25]

yeah i know, i'm pretty biased. but she's a LEGEND and her acting and voice is superb, angela's acting is phenomenal, but her singing makes my ears bleed.

[Quique]

I was first introduced to it by my brother back when I was about 13 years old. He was sick of my playing Les Mis all day, and literally sat me down and made me watch it. I was hooked. I've worn out a Laserdisc copy of it.

Prior to that, I had only known of one song from the show. I accidentally discovered "My Friends" on a Broadway compilation tape I found in the basement.

[theatre_grl]

[The Duchess of Mint]

Dear Sweeney Todd Fans,

I was first introduced to Sweeney Todd during the mid/late 1990s (Pre-1998), when I was in High School.

I was in Drama, and the teacher showed us the entire, 1982 televised version of the 1979 Broadway musical (the video starred George Hearn and Angela Lansbury).

I'm certain that at least half of my class was shocked and grossed out, but I was totally fascinated, even though I was both shocked and grossed out! I thought that Mrs. Lovett was the coolest character, and lines such as "Would you like the Admiral with or without his Privates?" were my favorites!

I've loved the musical ever since!

I don't know if that musical would be allowed to be shown in a high school today!

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Not Dead Yet]

Well, I'm 15, haven't been alive for a whole lotta time, so I don't have any interesting story to tell... I basically fell in love with Sondheim after checking out a few of his shows. Decided to find more. After the first note in Ballad, I was hooked. Thus, Sweeney Love was born.

[duchessina]

I heard that Tim Burton was making the movie musical of it so I looked it up on Youtube and watched the concert version.

It actually introduced me to musical theatre in general.

[Sweeney Hyde]

[duchessina]

[Mistress]

I don't have much of a story eaither. Basically, I accidently got myself asddicted to musicals...I think it was because I couldn't stop watching Wicked and POTO clips on Youtube...My family might've also contributed, because we always see one musical from a local theatre festival (well, not really local, the town is like an hour and half away) and my mom is always getting me tickets to one Toronto show or another for my Birthday and whatnot, so the addiction was always festering, it just didn't become full-blown until I discovered Youtube. Anyway, I basically kept hearing the name "Swweney Todd" being thrown around here and there, then I discovered a review on the revival a few years back, and one day, while I was feeding my Youtube addiction, I became curious and looked up a few clips from Sweeney,. I remember, the very first clip I ever saw was the first ballad from the Lansbury/Hearn version. Liking what I heard, I just continued exploring it, eventually rented the Hearn/Lansbury movie and now, it's on my list of shows that I'm addicted to. My mom actually took me and brother and two cousins to go see the revival on Saturday to get Christmas and birthday gifts out of the way. I'm happy that I discovered this show, iut's great for scaring people

[musicalFREEK]

i was in a revue and two of my friends sang "a little priest" and i instantly fell in love... then i found out it was sondheim which made me fall in love even more...

[mcfly2015]

I always knew the show existed, from seeing bits and pieces on PBS and seeing the OBC recording in the store and things. I never really became interested in it until I saw Jersey Girl and heard about the revival. When I started doing musical theatre a few years ago, I became friends with a guy who was a big fan, so I snatched up a copy of the recording and anything related to Sweeney Todd. I can honestly say that it is now one of my favorite shows of all time. This February I will finally have a chance to see it on stage as the touring show will be in my area. Also, what with the movie out now and Sweeney on everyone's minds. The director of the theatre group i am in is seriously considering doing the show. Anyways, that is my experience with Sweeney Todd

[RequiemfortheInnocent]

I just saw the movie on Friday, and fell head over heels in love with it. I'm now determined to get my little paws on everything related to Sweeney Todd. The whole thing just fits so perfectly with me; I love it.

[mastachen]

[RequiemfortheInnocent]

[mastachen]

Just out of curiosity...

how old are you?

And if you don't feel comfortable answering, pm me, or just ignore me... lol

And was the movie your first exposure to Sweeney Todd and musicals in general?

[RequiemfortheInnocent]

I'm 15, almost 16.


First exposure to Sweeney Todd was, ehhh, I think around a year or so back. My mom has a friend who's originally from England, and she told us about the Demon Barber, and I remember being intrigued, but never looked it up for some reason. Then, I heard Tim Burton was adapting it, and, being a Tim Burton junkie, I went to see it, and now I'm determined to see as many versions as I can.

And, musicals in general... Cats, I watched that soooo much when I was younger. (Still do. ) I've also got a friend who's a huge theatre nut... so I get it all the time from her. xD Then, Sound of Music (not my fave, but I've seen it a lot because my mom loves it). And Phantom of the Opera= love.

Honestly, I'm a bit of a 'musical newbie', you could say... I've definitely seen musicals, and enjoy them, but haven't ever really focused in on them; but I want to change that now. What I'd love to find is more of the darker ones, like Sweeney.

[bwaydisaster]

A friend I was very close to at the time was the soloist who sung the 'City on Fire' bit, when her school put on the show. But I only began listening to it about five months ago.

ps. when I saw the title of this thread, I thought it was going to be some 12 year old asking how he/she could sneak into the new, rated R movie. Lol, silly me.

[thirteen]

Haha. I thought this meant how did you get into the movie (you know cause its rated R so not everyone can buy tickets).

There were rumors of my school doing it last year so I listened to the cast recording, and fell in love.

[Joshua]

[Sweeney Hyde]

[Luc]

I watched the Lansbury/Hearn DVD last night... AMAZING. I'm really glad that I saw it before I saw the movie!

IT.
WAS.
AWESOME.

[Not Dead Yet]

The OBCR was what really got me hooked. I first purchased the Revival because it was all they had at the store I went to. Listen to it, loved it, then I got the OBCR and yeah... obsession.

[Mistress]

I just got the revival CD for Christmas from my sis and I don't care what anybody says, I LOVE it! There something about Lupone's speaking voice that I just love, and really, I'm just happy to have any version of the musical on CD (I'm actually tempted to buy the Hearn/Lansbury movie off of Chapters.ca now that I think about it). I was slightly dissaponted with Gemignani though. He was a fantastic Sweeney when I saw him, but he sounded bored to tears as the Beadle on the CD...oh well, I still love it

[Dancediva19]

I knew there was a musical named Sweeney Todd (not sure where I first heard it, possibly on here) but didn't really have any idea what it was about until I watched Jersey Girl.

Then last summer, the theme of the musical theatre camp I went to was Sondheim. We learned about him, his style, and a few of his works, including Sweeney Todd. We got to listen to parts of a cast recording (not sure if original or revival) and watched most of the Landsbury/Hearn DVD. For the end-of-the-week performance, I sang Green Finch and Linnet Bird and someone else sang Not While I'm Around, including the dialogue with Mrs. Lovett.

So that's how I was introduced to the show. I still haven't gotten around to see the movie yet. I was telling one of my friends about the plot and she was completely disgusted.

[blueveil]

I heard Tim Burton was making the movie version of it. I decided to check it out on Youtube.

[CurleysMartini]

I had been hearing things about it since I was 13 (17 now) when I first got addicted to musicals and then when I was 15 I started getting past the Phantoms and Rents and into the obscure/not as audience-pleasing stuff so I decided to give this a try and now I'm completely obsessed still 2 years later. And I actually consider the movie a blessing for once since I'm not the only one who knows about it anymore!

[Joshua]

[Mistress]

[pish123c]

[Borb]

I don't remember exactly. If I remember right, I was browsing musicals and the name Sweeney Todd kept coming up. I read the plot and thought it sounded amazing. I ordered the Hearn/Lansbury dvd off amazon, and the rest is history.

[GinnyWeasley201]

my parents both love the show. actually my parents and i are huge sondheim fans. i grew up listening to the original cast recording. and i fell in love with the music. the story appeals the morbid side of me.
and now we im pissed off with the world, i start singing Epiphany....
"They all deserve to die! Tell you why, Mrs.Lovett, Tell you why..."
and then my friends stare at me like i have three heads and then i saw its a musical thing and then they mind their business again.
I told my friend who likes Assassins the story and i think i got him into it.

[Lara]

I'd heard about it for a while, thought "Wow, that sounds pretty dark," and never heard any of the music. So then I found a clip of the revival at the Tony's on Youtube and decided the music was pretty good, but then I saw the 2007 film (don't flame me, please) and my sister and I got hooked on the music.

[Salome]

not flaming you but please get the obc recording and the lansbury/hearn dvd the two versions you know dont really give you the full experience.

[Lara]

Oh, yeah, I've heard the original and I mean to get the DVD (until then, I'll settle for watching clips on Youtube).

[zombiefl12]

Well up until recently the only Sondheim I'd experienced was Into the Woods, a favorite of mine for years (I have both recordings, even though the revival is not great and the dvd). About 2 or 3 months ago, one of my friends had seen Sweeney at a regional theater and borrowed the DVD and I watched it. At first I didn't really understand what was so great about it but by the time the first Act was over I was already hooked. Now I've got the DVD, Revival recording and the new movie recording.