Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd..

Hey Delta Nusies,

Here are my thoughts on Sweeney Todd, now playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway. I saw it on my own on June 7, 2023.

Let me preface this by saying Sweeney Todd is my all-time favourite musical (probably…definitely in the top five but mood factors in).

My favourite album version is the 2005 Broadway revival with Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone. And when the immersive version was at the Barrow Street Theatre off-Broadway in 2018, I saw it twice, including once for my birthday, even though I was perpetually broke back then and buying theatre tickets was a rare and special occurrence. And that was my favourite version of it live.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about the 2023 Broadway run starring Josh Groban as Sweeney and Annaleigh Ashford as Mrs. Lovett.

First of all, the tickets were astronomically priced. I paid more than $100 for a rear mezzanine seat. I barely ever pay that much for a ticket and when I do, it’s normally a special occasion orchestra splurge, but for my fave musical which had gotten such raves, I was willing to pay a lot for the “cheap” seats.

And my take…while the production was good, it wasn’t worth the price.

Now, honestly, I’m not a theatre critic and I don’t have theatre know-how or experience. I just watch a lot of theatre and know what I like and what I don’t. So that’s what you’re going to get today. Just my unfiltered thoughts and opinions. Take ‘em or leave ‘em!

Things I liked.

Josh Groban’s voice! Holy poop, Batman. Did the whole world besides me know that that man has the voice of an angel? So beautiful. So clear. I’ve never actually listened to him sing before (mostly just know who he is cuz he has funny cameos on several sitcoms I like), but I think I’m probably gonna have to change that and become a fan. I do wish he had been a bit more menacing as Sweeney, but he brought a depth of sadness to the role which I really enjoyed.

Annaleigh Ashford. Her everything. She was fantastic as Mrs. Lovett. Good physical comedy too. I just really enjoyed her performance.

Jordan Fisher as Anthony and Maria Bilbao as Johanna. These are notoriously dull characters, but I think that Jordan and Maria played them to perfection, bringing a lot of life to the performances. Maria was very flitty and birdlike and Jordan was charming and adorable. And I’m not just saying that cuz I’m in love with Jordan Fisher. Or maybe I am. Still, he can do no wrong and I’m okay with my opinion on that.

Gaten Matarazzo as Tobias. So sweet. So earnest. So well-performed.

I really loved the orchestration. Except there was no whistle for Sweeney’s kills. Why was there no whistle? That’s integral for me. I love the whistle. But otherwise, that full orchestra was gorgeous.

Things I didn’t like.

I’m in the minority here (based on the two recent Tony Award wins for Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design) but I really didn’t think the lighting or sound were that spectacular. I mean, part of that was my lack of whistle, but just overall, I wasn’t impressed. Maybe I just need more technical theatre know-how, but I’m also basing this off my feelings of the immersive Barrow Street performance where the lighting and sound knocked me off my feet (figuratively) but this just felt meh to me.

The choreography. I know it was going for an off-kilter thing, but it just felt weird and not in line with the story. I wasn’t a fan of most of the movement, but especially the group stuff.

Scenic design/set design. This also felt underwhelming and boring. The stage was huge and felt overpowering to the cast, which is also huge. It just felt empty and dull. I was unimpressed.

Judge Turpin. I want my Judge Turpin to be imposing and stern and austere. This performance was more whiny and nasally than anything else. I just didn’t see him as a terrifying person capable of tearing apart a family and imposing fear and judgment on others. For that matter, the Beadle was not slimy enough either.

Another really unpopular opinion, but I didn’t love how Ruthie Ann Miles portrayed the beggar woman. It felt very put on and not natural (or unnatural as you could call her mood swings) to me. A little too over the top, but not in the way I’ve pictured the beggar woman or seen her before. But she’s obviously got immense talent and I’d like to see her in another role maybe.

So overall, I enjoyed the show, but didn’t love it, and wish I hadn’t spent more than $100 on it. I’d maybe go see it again if I snagged $40 tickets.

And also, just an aside, but the audience was terrible. Like Phantom level terrible. Whispering and opening loud food wrappers and just overall a nuisance. But I guess that’s what you get when people wanna see Josh Groban perform.

Anyway, that’s all I got on Sweeney. Would love to hear your thoughts…(what you liked or didn’t, whether you agree with me or not, etc.)

Until next time!

Love, Roxi