Theater Review: Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by JR

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

With the big screen, award winning release of “Sweeney Todd” this holiday season, we should all at least have an idea of what the story is about. Just in case you’ve missed it, I’ll summarize. Sweeney Todd is a barber with a wife and baby girl when he is thrown in jail for a crime he did not commit. Upon his release fifteen years later, he returns to his former house and barber shop in London to hear that his wife has committed suicide and his baby girl is living in the house of the Judge who wrongly accused him. The Judge has adopted her and she thinks that he is her father. Naturally, Mr. Todd wants to exact revenge on the Judge who locked him away and stole his daughter, so he opens his barber shop to give his customers, and hopefully the Judge, the “closest shave they’ll ever know”.

I had never seen a stage production of “Sweeney Todd” before the movie came out this past December, but I had seen stills from it. I had also seen “Jersey Girl”, which has a scene from the stage production. These images combined along with what I had seen in Tim Burton’s film version were what I was expecting for the stage production. Boy was I wrong.

The 2005 Broadway revival is quite different than the original 1979 production of “Sweeney Todd”. The most important and challenging change is that there is an absence of an orchestra section. The cast plays each instrument in the orchestration and carries the instruments with them as they play their characters onstage. The small cast of 10 never goes off-stage. They are on the stage the entire length of the musical, with the exception of the intermission of course. This was a truly remarkable thing to watch. The pianist also happened to be playing the Beadle, and while he was in center stage as the Beadle, the Beggar Woman put down her oboe and played piano. Then when the Beadle was done with his lines, he would go back to the piano while Mrs. Lovett came out playing the tuba. Johanna plays the cello while singing “Green Finch and Linnet Bird”. It’s something I’ve never seen before and really speaks to the talent of the cast.

Another surprise was the set design. Gone is the crude two story barber shop/meat pie shop from the photos for the original Broadway production. Instead, there is only a wooden platform raised approximately 6 inches off of the floor that the cast uses as their stage. This wooden platform also ascends behind them, reaching all the way above the rafters. They’re more like wood slats than a platform, actually. Resembling a picket fence with openings between the wood. This allowed light to shine through to give more mood to the scene. When the mood is light, a white light shone through the slats. When Sweeney was killing, a red light shone through. This was a very unique way to give off the very unique feel of this musical. Other than the platform/wood slats, there was no set. The characters had a few chairs, a ladder and a coffin onstage to stand in as other things. For example, the coffin would stand upright and open to act as the doorway to the Judge’s home. Or Anthony would stand on a ladder to proclaim his love for Johanna.

As beautiful and captivating as it was to watch, one must really be familiar with the story to understand what was going on. The actors are all moving all over the stage and without any set and with their fellow actors playing the instruments around them, aren’t always able to speak directly at each other when having a conversation. In fact, it was rare when they were actually together in the same area of the stage. The only characters who shared some true alone time were Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd. This is of course essential for those two characters in particular. If Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd have no chemistry, the musical wouldn’t flourish the way it has.

The cast obviously has to be talented to pull this off. The score for ”Sweeney Todd” is said to be Steven Sondheim’s most challenging and anyone who’s ever had to sing it knows this firsthand. One can easily be out of breath and out of energy simply by singing and standing in place. These actors have to not only sing the challenging score, but they also have to play the entire orchestration and act the entire musical. Judy Kaye, who filled in for Patti LuPone on Broadway for the 2005 revival, plays Mrs. Lovett in the touring production and she is the heart and soul of the group. She’s no stranger to the character and can act this part without a hitch. She’s amazing. David Hess plays Sweeney Todd with an agony and emotion that was so different from Johnny Depp’s Sweeney Todd. I can’t say one was better than the other; they each bring so much to the role. Needless to say, I loved Mr. Hess’s performance. The rest of the cast was astounding as well, naturally. I just can’t imagine having the range of talent that each member of this cast has.

The stage production of “Sweeney Todd” is simply phenomenal. Even if you’ve seen the movie, it’s an experience completely unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Trust me.

If you’d like to experience the tour of “Sweeney Todd”, click here for more information:

http://www.sweeneytoddtour.com/photo.htm

Jenny Rushing
beccajane67@yahoo.com

Theater Review: Spamalot by JR

Spamalot, in case you were wondering about the odd name for a musical or if I had it confused with Camelot, is the musical “lovingly ripped off” from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. It is the story of Arthur, King of the Britons, and his quest to find Knights for his famed Round Table, and consecutively, his quest to find the Holy Grail. Eric Idle, of the original Python cast, wrote the musical. During its original Broadway run, Spamalot won 3 Tony’s including Best Musical and was nominated for 14.

If you turned up your nose in disgust at the first sentence, “How could they do that??!! What sellouts! It couldn’t possibly be any good. Harrumph!” You are mistaken. While the show does leave out a few very funny scenes from the movie, the scene at the castle with all of the women being one of them and also the scene with the witch hunt, it stays true to the tone of the Monty Python humor. You may be pleased to hear that some of the dialogue is entirely the same; for example, the bit in the beginning of the movie about the coconuts and the swallows. This really helps get the audience going. The jokes that have been ingrained into our heads for over 20 years are still funny because now we are seeing them in person. The audience literally cheers and whistles when they see the French taunters (who are quite vulgar in the musical version, more so than in the movie) or the Knights Who Say Ni, or the Killer Rabbit.

Remember in the movie when King Arthur is telling Dennis (the politically correct activist muddling around in the shithole) that he is king because the Lady of the Lake told him that he was to be the one to wield Excalibur? She’s become a character in the musical. Played by Esther Stilwell in the touring cast, The Lady of the Lake and her Laker girls steal the show whenever they are on stage. She’s overexaggerated, mocking Christina Aguilera’s stupid hand motions when she sings, and she holds her own against a cast entirely of men. Her voice is beautiful and her range is challenged in this musical, especially in “The Song That Goes Like This” that has like 5 key changes, but still she’s amazing. I only wish there were more of her. She does too, as she comes out halfway through the second act complaining about her lack of stage time during the hysterical “Diva’s Lament”.

Having peeked online at some clips featuring the Broadway cast, I was a bit disappointed by the touring cast’s King Arthur. This only being because the Great Tim Curry played King Arthur on Broadway, and nobody could do as well as he. However, Michael Siberry played King Arthur in the touring cast, and he held his own. I only wish I hadn’t watched those clips before the show. The Lady of the Lake and King Arthur are the only two members of the cast who don’t play more than one role. Staying true to the Monty Python way, all other members of the cast play several roles.

The rest of the knights are great as well, each having idiosyncrasies of his own that adds to the hilarity of it all. One of them shits his pants quite frequently, one of them turns out to be gay in a great Village People type song and dance number, and one of them is constantly flatulent. I’m not going to reveal who, you’ll have to see it for yourself. Also, God makes an appearance in the show. But instead of the head in the sky, a giant pair of feet descend from the rafters and when King Arthur tries looking up at him, God exclaims, “Stop trying to look up my skirt!” The voice of God is the pre-recorded voice of John Cleese.

The music is wonderful, with Python favorites such as “the Fisch Schlapping Song” and “The Bright Side of Life” making appearances in the musical. There is a song for the “I’m not dead yet!” scene, and everyone in the audience was walking around singing it during intermission and as we were walking out after the show. I’m singing it right now in fact. “I am not dead yet! He is not dead yet!” There is also a song to announce intermission, after the French taunters throw dead animals at the knights, aptly titled, “Run Away”. In fact, after final curtain call, the cast lead the audience in a Follow the Bouncing Ball type sing along of “The Bright Side of Life”. Several references to other musicals are sprinkled throughout the show as well, including “Phantom of the Opera”, “West Side Story”, and “Les Miserables”.

I completely enjoyed myself at Spamalot. If only tickets weren’t so bloody expensive, I’d be going again. I haven’t met one person who doesn’t like Monty Python, or who wouldn’t love the humor of this musical. This one’s for everyone. To find out if Spamalot is coming to your town, click here. There are also rumors that it may be made into a film, in which case, I’ll be keeping you posted.

Theater Review: Wonderful Town by JR

Two sisters from Ohio move to New York to discover new opportunities. One, Eileen, is an aspiring actress who never has to buy anything herself: her looks and charm get her by. The other, Ruth, is a writer who doesn’t have the same fortunate ability as her sister. Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Leonard Bernstein. Based on the play, “My Sister Eileen” that was made into an Oscar-winning movie, “Wonderful Town” began its initial run on Broadway in 1953 won 6 Tony awards including Best Musical. The revival began in 2003 and was nominated for 6 Tony’s, but only won for Best Choreography.

Let me start off with the obvious: “Wonderful Town” should be called “Boring Town”. There. I’ve got that out of the way. “Wonderful Town” is one of those musicals that is not as much for the audience as it is for the players involved. The highly intricate and challenging score is exhausting to listen to, but I’m sure would be freaking amazing to sing. The harmonies are great, as in “Ohio”, and the opening song “Christopher Street” has 17 key changes. 17! Something brag-worthy among vocalists. Also, the Overture had very complicated time changes. I couldn’t keep track. Perhaps if “Wonderful Town” was a snooty modern art piece, the music would be easier to bear. But it tries so hard to be whimsical and reminiscent of “happier musicals” like “Guys and Dolls”. The music just doesn’t fit.

One of the biggest contributing factors to my non-enjoyment of “Wonderful Town” was the sound. It could be the Fair Park Music Hall and a problem with the acoustics (although I’ve seen countless productions there and there hasn’t been a problem like this). It could be the fact that the entire orchestra plays on a raised platform on the stage instead of in the pit. It could be some wiring problem, or a sound technician was asleep. I couldn’t hear a damn word these people said. I had to strain to try to understand them while they were talking, and it was even worse while they were singing. The lowest point in the musical was a song sung by a former football star named Wreck called “Pass the Football”. He sounded like Special Ed from Crank Yankers. Seriously. “Duuhhh, da-dum, dee-dum dee-dum, duuuhhh Pass duh Football!!” Another bad one was “My Darling Eileen” sung by Irish policemen. If you think it’s hard to understand Special Ed as a singing football player, try understanding extremely thick and overexaggerated Irish accents. Oh, and they do some Riverdance in there too. I think it was about this point that I turned to April and whispered, “What the hell is this?”

There were a few good songs. A few. My favorite was “One Hundred Easy Ways to Lose a Man”. Sounds stupid, right? Nah. It was great. Too bad there weren’t more moments in the show like this one. It’s Ruth’s big number in the first act. Because of this number, Ruth stole the show.

Along with not being able to understand anything that was going on, the sets don’t provide much to look at. The entire orchestra is on stage for the whole musical. That doesn’t leave much room for any sets. There are a few backdrops, and there is some furniture that comes in for scenes in Ruth and Eileen’s apartment, but that’s about it. So if you’re keeping track, that’s 1) Nothing to listen to and 2) Nothing to look at.

“Wonderful Town” is currently on tour. You can find out if it’s coming to your town by clicking here.

Jenny Rushing

beccajane67@yahoo.com

Theater Review: Wicked by JR

Wicked the musical, based on the book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire, tells the story of the two witches of Oz, Glinda the Good, and Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West, before Dorothy dropped in. The Broadway production opened in 2003, and was nominated for 11 Tony’s, winning 3 including Best Actress for Idina Menzel (Elphaba).

I jumped on the Wicked bandwagon a little late. It was only this past year that I read the book, and finally bought the soundtrack CD. The book is a hard read to say the least. Gregory Maguire has created a different Oz from the one we’re all used to, the terminology and language can be daunting at times, and it took me two tries before I finished it. The book is great, don’t get me wrong, it’s just a hard book to read. One must understand though: the book, and the musical, and the original book by L. Frank Baum, and the movie “the Wizard of Oz” are all four separate and at times unrelated pieces of works. This can get very confusing, but it’s much easier if you just go with the flow and don’t ask too many questions.

The production of Wicked that is touring the country right now (yes right now!) is as close to the Broadway production as you’ll get. The sets are elaborate, complete with a giant dragon whose wings span the entire width of the stage, a giant ticking clock, and a beautiful Emerald City. The costumes are brilliant, identical to those I’ve seen in pictures of the original Broadway production. The special effects, especially Elphaba ascending into the air with her broom, are breathtaking.

The cast. Oh my, the cast. Listening to the soundtrack over and over and over, and given my pre-existing infatuation with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (the original Elphaba and Glinda), I really had my doubts about whether I would enjoy anyone who dared set foot into their roles. In the touring production, Elphaba is played by Victoria Matlock and Glinda is played by Christina DeCicco, two unknowns to me, but I knew I would love Victoria Matlock by reading in her bio that she played Emma in Jekyll & Hyde. It’s just a thing with me. I automatically like anyone who’s done Jekyll & Hyde. It’s how much I love that musical. Needless to say, the two far exceeded my expectations. Victoria Matlock nailed “The Wizard and I”, my favorite song to belt in the car, and she had me on the edge of my seat during “Defying Gravity”. The girl can sing. Christina DeCicco, simply put, is Glinda. After seeing her performance, and forgive me Kristin Chenoweth, I still love you, I can’t imagine anyone else in that role. Her quirkiness is adorably loveable and is absolutely perfect. She kicks her feet up, jumps up and down, and has the energy of Molly Shannon’s Mary Katherine Gallagher, only without being even the slightest bit annoying. Christina is perfect. Victoria is perfect. So they’re “perfect together”.

“Wicked” is the perfect musical. If only there was a movie version…I know there are rumors, but nothing more than rumors. I just want to be able to watch it over and over and share it with my kids. Click here and find out if “Wicked” will be coming to your city. Who knows when it will be back.

Love,

Jenny

beccajane67@yahoo.com