[EsmeraldaDaae]

What's it like to have to concentrate on playing the xylophone just moments before you leap up and sing "The Worst Pies in London"? How did you learn it all?
You know what? I think it's easier for us because we are all actors. Musicians might never have been able to memorize everything, but it really wasn't that hard. I've given up the idea of giving a performance where I don't make a mistake. Something is going to fall apart someplace, whether it's a tuba note or a xylophone note. Hopefully it will never be a lyric or a musical note. I'm not as much of a musician as the other guys are, but I used to play piano, so it wasn't that hard. And the tuba is pretty damn funny. You're supposed to sit with a tuba, but I'm carrying it.

Is it exhausting to work so hard for the entire evening?
No. It's inspiring. This one feels great. A show is exhausting when it stinks. It's exhausting when you have to work overtime to make something work. It's like I keep saying, John Doyle is a miracle worker. We are so well rehearsed that all the questions have been answered. Now we just play. We're not exhausted at the end; we're thrilled to death.

I have to ask about your outrageous costumes. Was that a collaboration between you and John? I noticed there's no costume designer.
That's all him. He showed me the renderings and I said, "This is fabulous." Why not? Does it look ridiculous?

Not at all. And in the second act, just when we've gotten used to the first outfit, you come out and we get to study another incredible getup. Mrs. Lovett the sexpot!
[Laughs naughtily] You know what John compared her to? An East End barkeep. He said this is what they look like in the East End. I think it's hysterical. I'm never reluctant when it comes to things like costumes. They are the creators, and I am the storyteller.


"I haven't been this creative since I started to learn how to act." LuPone has spent the last few years brushing up on her Sondheim in concert versions of Passion (opposite her current Sweeney, Michael Cerveris), Sunday in the Park With George, A Little Night Music, Anyone Can Whistle and Sweeney Todd (with George Hearn). She won't confirm rumors that she'll do Gypsy at the Ravinia Festival next year, saying only that the theater will announce its 2006 schedule before the end of November. But she's positively bubbling as she describes the unique vision British director and designer John Doyle is bringing to Sweeney Todd.
The first thing that struck me about this production is the awesome display of musicianship. Having the cast members play the music is almost unbelievable to watch.
I totally agree with you. It's a real statement for the importance of music in schools. When you look at the kids on that stage, there are generations of musicians represented. Mano [Felciano, who plays Tobias] and Ben [Magnuson, Anthony] and Lauren [Molina, Johanna] all have parents who are classical musicians.

What's it like to have to concentrate on playing the xylophone just moments before you leap up and sing "The Worst Pies in London"? How did you learn it all?
You know what? I think it's easier for us because we are all actors. Musicians might never have been able to memorize everything, but it really wasn't that hard. I've given up the idea of giving a performance where I don't make a mistake. Something is going to fall apart someplace, whether it's a tuba note or a xylophone note. Hopefully it will never be a lyric or a musical note. I'm not as much of a musician as the other guys are, but I used to play piano, so it wasn't that hard. And the tuba is pretty damn funny. You're supposed to sit with a tuba, but I'm carrying it.

Is it exhausting to work so hard for the entire evening?
No. It's inspiring. This one feels great. A show is exhausting when it stinks. It's exhausting when you have to work overtime to make something work. It's like I keep saying, John Doyle is a miracle worker. We are so well rehearsed that all the questions have been answered. Now we just play. We're not exhausted at the end; we're thrilled to death.

I have to ask about your outrageous costumes. Was that a collaboration between you and John? I noticed there's no costume designer.
That's all him. He showed me the renderings and I said, "This is fabulous." Why not? Does it look ridiculous?

Not at all. And in the second act, just when we've gotten used to the first outfit, you come out and we get to study another incredible getup. Mrs. Lovett the sexpot!
[Laughs naughtily] You know what John compared her to? An East End barkeep. He said this is what they look like in the East End. I think it's hysterical. I'm never reluctant when it comes to things like costumes. They are the creators, and I am the storyteller.


I don't remember "A Little Priest" being this funny and sexy. Your chemistry with Michael Cerveris is wonderful.
I know. Passion was the first thing we did together, and [the chemistry] was evident right away. It's just the easiest relationship it could possibly be. I adore him. He trusts me, and I definitely trust him. There's a safety net—he can do whatever he wants to me onstage. And he is a supreme storyteller. I've been onstage with very selfish actors, people who are in it for the wrong reason. Michael is in it for the right reason, and he's just so damn good at what he does. And then there is the personal element, which makes him unbelievably generous and gracious and wise onstage. He is an amazing guy and I am so grateful.

There's nothing cuddly about your Mrs. Lovett. She's positively scary singing "Not While I'm Around" with Tobias.
Well, she is the villain of the piece. Steve [Sondheim] said that to me years ago. She's totally pragmatic. She knows what she needs to do to survive and get her man. It's in the lyrics: Sweeney says at the very top, "There was a barber and his wife and she was beautiful." And not 10 minutes later, Mrs. Lovett sings, "There was a barber and his wife and he was beautiful." At the end she says, "Yes, I lied because I love you. I'd be twice the wife she was."

Were you able to build on having played the part in concert, or did you start from scratch?
Oh, I had to totally throw all that out. And sometimes when it sneaks in, I know it's absolutely wrong for this production.

What are your memories of the original production of Sweeney Todd, which opened when you were doing Evita?
I was gobsmacked. I can see the entire thing, even now. I sat there with my mouth open, just dropped to the floor. I thought it was truly an incredible piece.

[RainbowJude]

I really enjoyed this interview as a whole piece - for the little bits of trivia like how LuPone auditioned as a replacement for Dot in Sunday in the Park with George and didn't get it and how her son was the mail boy in Passion. But most of all, I liked this particular question and answer: