Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Playing at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Musical or play? Musical
Lottery or Rush Tickets? Digital Lottery Available through Broadway Direct
What I Paid: $266.70
Official Website: https://sweeneytoddbroadway.com/
For the first time since 1980, Broadway audiences can experience Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award®–winning score as it was performed in the original production—with Jonathan Tunick’s classic 26-player orchestration on an epic scale. Tony Award–winning director Thomas Kail (Hamilton) helms the return of this musical thriller starring Tony and Grammy® nominee Josh Groban (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) as Sweeney Todd and Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford (Sunday in the Park With George, Kinky Boots) as Mrs. Lovett. Tony winner Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen) reunites with Kail as Music Supervisor, and Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Once, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) choreographs this new production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
REVIEW
I’m usually the type of person who enjoys seeing fun, upbeat, and glitzy Broadway shows, but when I found out Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford are starring in the new revival of Sweeney Todd, I knew it was an absolute must attend on my recent trip to New York City. I purchased a full price ticket directly through the show’s website a couple months in advance. Since I’m familiar with the show and didn’t feel the need to be that close to the bloody action, I picked a seat in the Center Orchestra, Row R. While the mezzanine does overhang just slightly, I did not feel like my view was obstructed at all, and highly recommend sitting here if you would like a slightly more affordable price.
If you’re new to Sweeney Todd, the show follows the title character as he returns to London after being sent away to prison on false charges by the evil Judge Turpin. He plots to get revenge against the judge, and re-opens his barber shop above Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop. What follows is a dramatic and death-filled story about a man trying to seek justice whilst descending into madness.
As I expected, the show is amazingly performed. I can’t tell you how exciting and surreal it was to see this cast in person. Josh Groban’s voice is incredible, and he does a fantastic job at going from a quiet Sweeney to a downright scary one as the show progresses. Annaleigh Ashford is the perfect Mrs. Lovett. Her comedic timing is spot on, and she had the audience in the palm of her hand for the entire show. The rest of the cast is wonderful as well. Jordan Fisher sounds beautiful as Anthony, and while Gaten Matarazzo was out for the performance I attended, his understudy Nathan Salstone did a flawless job. The other stand-out performance for me is Ruthie Ann Miles as Beggar Woman. Every time she was onstage, my heart went out to her!
Moreover, the theatre itself is transformed to capture the eerie feel of the show. The use of fog when the show opens helps to evoke that unsettled feeling. Similarly, the lighting is very well done. The ensemble is often shrouded in shadow, and many of the scenes have a very dark feel to mimic the story’s themes. If it weren’t for the ambulance sirens going by the theatre (that’s NYC for you), it would be easy to imagine that I’d been transported to dreary London.
I do want to quickly mention the bloody scenes for those of you who may be nervous about attending a gory show. Without giving away too many spoilers, I’ll mention that the anticipation of the bloody moments is actually much worse than the moments themselves. The orchestra and actors work together to create so much tension, that I was actually a bit relieved when the first “shave” takes place and not much blood is seen. In fact, each death is pretty quick, and I feel like the show does a great job at not glorifying them. If you’re still a bit uneasy, do as I did and sit a bit farther back!
Overall, I am thrilled I had the privilege of attending this Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd. Not only was it an amazing opportunity to see so many incredible performers on one stage, but the entire experience was amplified by the audience. From the moment the lights went down until the final bow, I felt like I was part of a wonderful group of theatre-goers experiencing greatness together. Everyone applauded with gusto when appropriate, and was enraptured throughout the rest of the performance. If you are able to see this show, I highly recommend it!
STAGE DOOR
I attended a Saturday matinee performance of Sweeney Todd. While barricades were set up around the stage door, security was very quick to inform everyone that, “There is no Stage Door.” This was disappointing, since I’ve seen many others on social media get their Playbills signed by the entire cast, but I do understand the need to rest between matinee and evening performances. The only off-putting thing was that if you even stood 10-15 feet away from the stage door itself, security yelled at you to move. I tried standing about 15 feet away to order food, and some others were slightly closer trying to look up directions on their phone. I would cross the street or move father down the block to avoid getting scolded, even if you think you are out of the way! If you do want to get your Playbills signed, you may have better luck at evening performances.
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