Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| TheHappySandMan |
Sweeney Todd on Food Network?Was I the only person not watching American Idol Wednesday night who happened to catch Alton Brown do an entire episode of Good Eats as a spoof on Sweeney Todd? The show was about savory pies.
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| Disney-Bway27 |
Interesting.
Details? |
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| TheHappySandMan |
Basically, the episode was fashioned as the story of Alton's great-great(-great?) grandfather who was held over in London briefly before leaving for America. The episode opens with "Mrs. Levitt" working away in her pie shop. Grandpa Alton stops in for a pie, which of course is awful. The entire episode is basically Grandpa Alton teaching Mrs. Levitt the ins and outs of proper savory pies. I think they did mincemeat pie, pot pie and at least one other. Sweeney makes an appearance to offer Alton a shave and alert Mrs. Levitt that the "meatman" has arrived. Grandpa Alton asks several times what cuts/breed of meat she has been giving him.
It was actually a pretty clever show with little jabs at industrial revolution poverty and bad British food, as well as nods to the musical (at one point Mrs. Levitt says something like "Eh, I know the worst pies in London") although there's no singing. The background music is kind of a Muzak parody of Sondheim. Levitt and Sweeney are basically made up to look like the Burton film, as is he set. The end involves Sweeney being arrested by the police (and apparently going bonkers while being dragged away), and Grandpa Alton and MRs. Levitt absconding to America whereafter he dissapeared "under mysterious circumstances" (as we are told by present-day Alton looking through Grandpa's Alton's old recipe book). |
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| TheHappySandMan |
Found it on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thF1ryaj3dE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Msdg5jamQ |
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| Disney-Bway27 |
I LOVE IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I LOVED all the Sweeney references!
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| ActingDude17 |
That enough ruins it right there! 
JK. But seriously, I can't stand it when the original work is completely ignored and a more current, "popular" one is used. Nonetheless, I will still look into this. |
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| Disney-Bway27 |
Do not fret, my dear friend Keaton, they took a line from the stage production. 
"Smooooooth as a baby's arse!" |
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| TheHappySandMan |
There's even an Edward Scissorhands reference that I didn't notice last time.
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| The Very Angry Woman |
Well, really, which one is more recognizable these days? This is the Food Network we're talking about, not Bravo or Logo. And thanks for sharing this, TheHappySandMan. I'm a huge Alton Brown fan but have fallen behind on my Good Eats viewing these days. |
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| Monsieur D'Arque |
Also, to be honest, Mrs. Lovett's look is not "iconic," nor is Sweeney's, until the film's now-famous (or infamous) revamp of the show's visual style.
You're just thinking of Angela's look. Remember, Patti had two different, distinct visual versions as well, as did Sweeney. Slovenly old lady with "horns" was replaced with aging, bawdy wench, then with ghostly boobtastic lady (actually quite apt- according to the legend, Lovett was a prostitute as well, and Sweeney often "shaved" her johns the morning after). I rather like the New!Sweeney look- the original productions were either too dour, or too drawing-room goofy for the play, a frankly Victorian-Gothic melodrama with some fantastical elements. I think the new look suits it quite well, and deserves its pop-cultural iconic status. |
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| lottielou22 |
It makes me so happy that they referenced Sweeney Todd. Ah, that is fabulous. | ||||
| Vice |
 It's two of my favourite things in one!
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