Last night I saw my local theatre group put on a production of Sweeney Todd. I was very excited because Sweeney Todd is one of my favorite shows. Here are some standout events:
While waiting for it to start I overheard a woman talk with an older woman and an older man right behind me. (Idk if the older two were married or what their relationship was to the younger woman so imma say granddaughter and grandparents.) The granddaughter asked how familiar they are with the show and the grandmother said "until this morning I never even heard of it.
My reaction:
On my left my was apparently a man and his gf associated with the cast and crew because he seemed a bit bitter that he wasn't involved with the production. Saying things like "oh, they chose to go with THAT lighting system" real snobbish. They each had like a Coca-Cola paper cup filled with jack & coke.
On my right was this tall dude like 6'7" - 6'8" and his gf and it seemed he was familiar with the show but never saw it.
There was a voice over the loudspeaker going "Please no photography or video. Mr Todd and Mrs Lovett despise evidence and it would be a shame if you had to be disposed of as well. In case of a fire do not panic, because it cannot possibly be any worse that Mrs Lovett's oven."
This is the first show I ever went to in any town where every seat was filled. And this was the performer's third weekend so I was plenty shocked. It did make me super happy and excited though.
They had one of those screen back walls. To know where the back is one giant tv screen for background settings. And in front of it was a set of big oven doors.
When Sweeney came out in the opening number the screen blazed with a fire from hell, the oven doors burst open, and Sweeney walked out like:
Then a dark red light hit the stage and it made Sweeney's eyes look like they were glowing red. I later asked the actor for Sweeney if this was intentional or a happy accident. He said it was initially an accident during rehearsals but trained himself to try to make it happen intentionally and he was so happy to hear it worked. Btw any time Sweeney committed murder instead of blood they used the red lights and about 70% of the time Sweeney was able to make his eyes glow.
Also important is Sweeney was dressed like a Hot Topic pirate like below but with a red shirt.
Oh yeah. The whole show was placed in the 1970's. I assume due to restraints on costuming and props but they did a magnificent job.
After the opening number the grandmother whispered "the hell kind of show did you take me to?"
I found it an odd choice to not have the Beggar Woman's face covered. Most productions have her in a hat or a hood or something to obscure her face for the reveal.
Mrs Lovett is apparently a high school music teacher irl because the granddaughter was apparently one of her ex-students. She was like "oh Ms Jones (not her real name) is in this? I haven't seen her since high school. I wonder if she still teaches."
Mrs Lovett was the highlight of the show. Stealing every scene she was in and hitting every note perfectly.
Mrs Lovett's Meat Pies was a custom neon sign and it was amazing.
Judge Turpin was perfectly hateable. Every second he was on stage I wanted to run up and punch him, which is the only correct response to Turpin.
Beadle was gay. Like highschool vice principal doing his best to stay in the closet while living in a super conservative town surrounded by macho men and constantly straining to not accidentally put himself gay crossed with season 1 Chandler Bing. It was glorious.
Toby used a tambourine instead of a drum and was masterful with it.
Pirelli was a latina woman in disco clothes called Senorita Pirelli and she was also glorious. She is called a Spaniard instead and also "femme fatale" a few times.
During the shaving contest she and Toby have to restrain the man they are shaving because he was trying to get out of the chair and very clearly in pain from the shave and it was hilarious.
Sweeney's man had a big fake beard with light glue because he just used his razor to peel it off and it was also hilarious.
Also important that Pirelli chose the volunteers. Pirelli had a guy with a little stubble and Sweeney got the guy with the beard.
Beadle was aroused by Sweeney. It came across that Beadle thought he was going to get fucked by Sweeney after he got a shave. Idk if this was intentional but I certainly interpreted it this way.
Sweeney initially strangles Pirelli and stuffs her in the trunk. As people come in and out of the room Pirelli is trying to crawl out but Sweeney would just push her back down and sit in the trunk while nobody was looking before finally slitting her throat.
During the beginning of Little Bit of Priest the grandmother behind me goes "she ain't suggesting what I think she is, is she?" And everyone who heard her in the audience started giggling.
Mrs Lovett in Little Bit of Priest had perfect comedic timing. It was like she was a trained stand-up comedian.
Each time Sweeney killed someone the victim would put up a struggle, stop moving, then stand up like they were possessed and march into the oven doors behind them, and then Mrs Lovett would walk across the stage quietly pushing a covered corpse on a cart off stage and then walk back with a meat pie.
Reminder that every kill would have a red light show up on stage and Sweeney's eyes would glow red.
Sweeney seemed like he'd be fine with Johanna running off with Anthony because he trusts Anthony as a person.
The Lucy reveal was done because in Poor Thing Lucy was the only person in a hot pink dress so by the reveal her overcoat is scuffled revealing the dress underneath. An odd choice but it got the point across to grandma behind me because she gasped and cried out "nooo!!!"
Sweeney's mourning did bring a small tear to my eye.
The police walked in a half second before Toby slit Sweeney's throat so he gets arrested for murder and put in a straitjacket.
Toby then left alone on stage struggling in the straightjacket as it gets darker and quieter with just a spotlight on him. Then he stops, stands up, and then BAM!! The oven doors burst open with fires of hell blazing again as everyone creepily marches out for the final number.
Snob to my left: "I guess they did okay..."
Dude on my right: "Pretty good."
Grandma behind me: "I enjoyed it but why did you take me here? To torment me?!"
