[Sweeney Hyde]

I atteneded a matinee performance of the current US National Tour of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Stree at 2:00 on February 22, 2008 in Cincinatti, Ohio.

On the Performers:

Mrs. Lovett...Judy Kaye
Judy Kaye was incredible. Her Lovett is right on. She played Lovett in a comical, motherly fashion, although not so over-the-top, for lack of a better expression, as far as the comic side of it goes. During her lines after "By the Sea", the one that has "Your Lucy's gone, poor thing...", it was very evident that she was working her puppets, as it were. She delieved her lines in a motherly, and sometimes godly, fashion. Kaye was very fun to watch the entire performance.
She plays the tuba, orchestra bells, and percussion.

David Hess...Sweeney Todd
David Hess was a delightful Sweeney Todd. It's quite a different Todd than anyone else I've seen/heard. I enjoyed his performance more than Cerveris's, although not as much as Cariou and Hearn's. He was a very human Sweeney, not leaning any one direction as far as one singular emotion being a predominant force in his performance (For instance Hearn is a very angry Todd, Cerveris a sad, brooding Todd, Cariou a straight up crazy Todd, etc.).
He plays the trumpet, orchestra bells, and percussion.

John Arbo...Jonas Fogg
John Arbo did very well for the little he had to do. He performed the one scene he is in acting-wise very well. Other than that, he sings all of the Ballads with the chorus.
He plays the string bass.

Edmund Bagnell...Tobias
Edmund Bagnell performed his part very well and very much like what's his name that performed it in the Broadway run. There wasn't anything that really stuck out, good or bad, from him in particular.
He plays the violin and clarinet.

Keith Buterbaugh...Judge Turpin
Keith Buterbaugh's performance was the only performance that really bothered me. It was pretty flat the whole way through. I also believe him to be a bit young-looking for the Judge yet, making him a miscast in that right, alone. He is best known from the 2006 revival of Company where he played Harry. I enjoyed his Harry a great deal and was very much looking forward to seeing him as the Judge. However, he more or less played the Judge as an ordinary citizen in his middle-aged years of life. In other words, boring. I felt very little hate and no pity towards him.
He plays the trumpet, orchestra bells, and percussion.

Diana DiMarzio...Beggar Woman
Diana DiMarzio played the Beggar Woman as she always has and always will be played. I can't say anything bad about he.
She plays the clarinet and keyboard.

Benjamin Eakeley...The Beadle
What little Benjamin Eakeley got to do in his scenes, I loved. He was a very slimy kind of Beatle. He reminded me a great deal of an Italian Mofia gangster from the 1920s. He had a good voice and his acting was quite enjoyable to watch.
He plays clarinet, keyboard, and saxophone.

Benjamin Magnuson...Anthony
I felt like Benjamin Magnuson tried to copy Cris Groenendaal's Anthony from the 1982 tour of the show but thought no one would notice since he's holding a cello as well. Well that didn't work out, because I noticed. It was a decent performance, besides that.
He plays the cello and keyboard.

Lauren Molina...Johanna
Lauren Molina is a decent Johanna, although a bit flat at times. However, I think that the role is a bit flat by nature, not bothering me as much. She was good for what she did.
She plays the cello.

Katrina Yaukey...Pirelli
Katrina Yaukey played Pirelli quite well. However, I don't like that Pirelli is a woman. I just don't. However, this is not her fault.
She plays the accordion, keyboard, and flute.

"The Ballad of Sweeney Todd"
Right from the get go I was a bit worried about the volume, which should NEVER be an issue with a professional national tour. Besides that it was a bit quite, it was very well done.

"No Place Like London"
I found the staging for this scene to be a bit odd, with Sweeney sitting in the coffin upright as if in a boat and Anthony standing on a chair upstage right. Other than the awkward staging it was very well performed.

"The Barber and His Wife"
Basically exactly the same as "No Place Like London," although I wish Hess would have held out that wonderful climatic note at "beautiful!"

"The Worst Pies in London"
Judy Kaye nailed it. Absolutely no complaints.

"Poor Thing"
I think this number has a completely different feel to it when it's not done with any sort of flashback. It's less suspenseful although more sinister with Kaye milking it for everything it's worth. The disgust and loathing in her voice with her final "Poor thing" was fantastic.

"My Friends"
This was the first number that gave me chills. It was wonderful. They both delievered it beautifully. When the music swelled at the end of the song and he delievered his line is when I really was getting the chills like nothing else. It was beautiful and terrifying.

"Green Finch and Linnet Bird"
This is probably my least favorite song in the whole show. Molina performed it well, at least.

"Ah, Miss"
I realize now that this song is the most unnessisary of them all. It sort of brings the show to a halt...as does Green Finch, in my opinion, at least in this production.

"Johanna"
Again, I'm not crazy about this song. I think if it's creepiness isn't exploited than it's quite lack-luster. In this case, it was lack-luster.

"Pirelli's Miracle Elixer"
This was very fun to watch. The using of the busts for the volunteers was interesting. Again, just fun.

"The Contest"
Again, very fun to watch. Although I don't think Yaukey was as funny as she could have been.

"Johanna"
The Judge's Johanna was flat, unfortunately. His orgasm sounded more like he was in pain.

"Wait"
Kaye performed this piece very well. It helped build the suspense, just as it should.

"Kiss Me"
Kiss Me was very well performed.

"Ladies in Their Sensitivies"
I loved how this was staged like they were at a bar or study just sharing a drink. I love the Beadle's Mofia-like-ness.

"Quartet"
Wonderful.

"Pretty Women"
This was performed as best as it could with the Turpin that this production had.

"Epiphany"
This was the second time in the show I got chills. Hess performed this amazingly. He was terrifying. From "Alright. You, sir? How about a shave..." on he was monsterous. The way he picked people out in the audience was extremely effective.

"A Little Priest"
Kaye and Hess performed this in a bit of a more...I don't know a word for it. But it was fun. Hess rubbed her butt while they were waltzing and tickled it at another point. It gave it a bit of a lustful feel. The final strain of "Have charity..." made my body the goosepimple Mecca of the world.

Intermission
Intermission was fun. We went to the bathroom and got drinks from the fountain, while we discussed the fantasticalness of the production and the show.

"God, That's Good!"
Awkward is the perfect word to describe this song. It just...it doesn't work well. Although Kaye's Tuba playing was quite entertaining during this piece.

"Johanna"
I adore this song and I love the way it was done, however, without the chair and the vicitims it looses a lot of it's effect.

"By the Sea"
This was fun to watch as well, although it did slow the show down a bit.

"Not While I'm Around"
Same old thing, except I'm not sure if I liked that Toby didn't really pay attention to her when she sang. He looked in the opposite direction and played his vioin...

"Parlour Songs"
Again, I loved the Beadle in this show, and I don't think if he had played his part any other way that this section would have worked.

"City on Fire"
This was a bit awkward as well, with Toby singing most of the song in the basement.

"Final Sequence"
When we got to this part it finally felt as if it was back to the greatness that was the first act. I got chills in too many place to be able to recount where and why. I do think it's interesting how Sweeney doesn't "Bleed".

"The Ballad of Sweeney Todd"
The final number was performed very beatufiully. It helped end the show with a bang.

OVERALL...I think it was a fantastic show and a delight to see.

The staging took a bit of getting used to but once you do it's great stuff.

I do not recomend this to people not familiar with the show or at least the film. I think it would be very difficult to follow without knowing it prior to seeing this particular production.

I think that this type of theatre still needs some work before it's perfected as far as the theory of it goes. I really would like to see some consistancy as far if the actors stay in character when playing their instruments and moving the set around and such. Toby, the Beadle, and Pirelli were in character the whole time. Others I felt went in and out and other were obviously not in character like Lovett and Todd. I would prefer if someone would pick that they all have to do it one way or the other.

But yes, overall I loved it and it was a very entertaining and artistic afternoon.

[musical_maven]

Thanks for posting this great review! The tour is coming to my hometown at the end of April, before I wasn't so sure the revival was for me. But after reading your review I'll definately get tickets!
-Musical_Maven

[qmechanic]

Thanks for the highly detailed review! I'm going to see the touring Sweeney Todd in late March, in Los Angeles.

[Mistress]

[reedzee]

Great review. I agree with a lot of what you said.

[sopranodespair]

What? Theres a tour? And I live near Cincinatti too! I'm going to try to find tickets...

[Not Dead Yet]

I agree with most of your review.. except for David Hess. I liked his performance, and he's a really sweet man, but it didn't quite hit it for me. His Epiphany wasn't strong enough imho (although he did have at least one off night right before the performance I saw, so maybe he was sick...).

Also, I wasn't too impressed with Yaukley. But it probably has quite a lot to do with the fact that.. Pirelli is NOT a woman.

Not While I'm Around-- You said he doesn't look at Lovett, and plays his violin instead... I kind of like that. I like the fact that Toby's sort of everywhere and nowhere at once.... and how when he's "off stage" he's still IN every scene, whether he's accomplaning or just making some kind of reaction-- like to the Fiddle player line in A Little Priest.

Benjamin Eakeley -- I loved his Parlour Songs. Like.. L-O-V-E. Oh, and I DEFINITELY agree about the sound.. it wasn't as good as it should have been.

The I loved the staging and switching of instruments, but the complexity of Sweeney's plot makes it hard to follow like this.. or at least, a lot harder than Company. But I love the raw, creepy feel this gives and how basic the orchestrations are. But I did have to explain the story during intermission to come older ladies sharing our box... they enjoyed it as well, but it would have been better if they had prior knowledge..

[ActingDude17]

Thanks for the awesome review!

I really wish the tour was coming at least somewhere remotely close to me (NC).

[Xack]

I love how you reviewed the intermission!
And I agree about the Turpin, made me so sad....

[sopranodespair]

I just saw it today. I love Sweeney, but the staging pretty much ruined it for me I would have preferred a regular orchestra instead of the actors playing insrtuments and the staging being different

[Linda]

For the David Hess fans, he now has a website.

http://www.davidhess.info

check it out

[sopranodespair]

^ Awesome. I love Daivd Hess

[mastachen]

I just watched it tonight. I thought the best parts of the show were Judy Kaye and Edmund Bagnell. They both nailed the essence of their characters spot on.

Benjamin Magnuson really bothered me. His singing was soft, and he made some extremely weird acting choices. I can't put my finger on it, but when he says "I'd shoot a dozen jailers..." that line was hilarious to me.

Lauren Molina's voice bothered me. But I loved her acting.

David Hess did nothing for me though. His Johanna was good, and I loved his interaction with Mrs. Lovett, but other than that, I thought his performance fell very flat. And he even sounded out of tune during My Friends.

I also loved Benjamen Eakeley as the Beadle. There was something about his performance, the way he carried himself and his voice, that made him extra creepy and detestable, which is how I think the Beadle should be played.

The Ahmanson Theater's sound system sucked ass. I was sitting in a mezz box; more than half the time, I couldn't hear what was going on. The entire speakers system broke down for a couple of seconds during Pirelli's Miracle Elixir, and it seemed to malfunction again during Kiss Me.

[qmechanic]

I just saw Sweeney Todd on tour in Los Angeles. I'm happy to say that if there were sound problems in previous performances, they were fixed when I saw the show.

It was a good performance, but I just wasn't crazy about the whole actors being musicians thing. I didn't really see how the instruments added to the story telling. Sure, it was cute sometimes (e.g. watching Judy Kaye play the tuba badly and Lauren Molina perform slides on her cello), but hardly necessary to the play.

I felt like the two standout performers were Judy Kaye and Benjamin Eakley (who played the beadle). Both were fine actors and singers. As previously mentioned, Judy chose to play Mrs. Lovett as a sweet, charming character whose only fault was being too fond of Mr. T. She felt bad about locking Toby in the bakehouse.

I agreed that the judge was pretty bland and I felt like his voice was too high for the part. I like a strong bass for the judge

Lauren Molina did a nice job being a crazy Johanna. The guy who played Anthony was good but pretty much the same as every other Anthony I've seen.

Sadly, I didn't really care for David Hess's performance. He didn't really vary his volume much during "My Friends" (he seemed loud for the parts when he should have been soft "whisper I'll listen" etc). His Epiphany was good, but not as good as other previous performers. I didn't like the fact that he tried to threaten the audience from the back of the stage while standing on a ladder. But that's the fault of the director.

Anyways, I'm just not a big fan of John Doyle's style for Sweeney Todd. I thought he did a much more effective job with the Company revival. The Sweeney Todd revival came off as being clever and novel and seemed to lose some of its emotional punch.