[Monsieur D'Arque]

Sondheim has said he loves Sweeney done with as few people as possible. Disregarding Doyle, the smallest production possible of Sweeney is eight people, as follows.

Sweeney

Mrs. Lovett/Ashwoman

Anthony/Third Gravedigger

Lucy/Ashwoman

Johanna

Judge Turpin/First Gravedigger/First Policeman

Toby

Beadle/Pirelli/Fogg/Second Gravedigger/Bird Seller/Second Policeman

[ActingDude17]

Considering The Contest, how can the Beadle double as Pirelli? Also, how can the Beadle double as the birdseller considering he kills the bird while the birdseller is (traditionally) snoozing on-stage?

[Monsieur D'Arque]

I have always seen The Birdseller leave, not sleep on stage. The libretto does not indicate him as such.

And as far as The Contest... I don't know how that was done. But according to the annotated libretto, the smallest Sweeney ever was eight people, and Sondheim loved it. Having the Beadle double Pirelli is the only conceivable way it could happen with ensemble breakdown and other roles singing in the scene. My guess, somebody else was the judge of the contest in that production.

[dolbinau]

[Monsieur D'Arque]

The annotated Sweeney libretto's introduction talks about Sondheim's favorite production being an eight-person run in a small London theater, somewhere in the eighties. It was very intimate, and preceded the John Doyle Sweeney by ten years.