Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd
Friday, July 14, 2006 8pm
Eugene O'Neill, New York City

This was my absolute favorite show of my New York City trip this year!! Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris were AMAZING!! Their voices just soared and they are wonderful actors, which these roles definitely need to make it believeable.
Besides how phenominal the cast was as individuals, what's impressive is how they all worked together as a whole. It was really a sight to see and hear the quality level of these musicians and performers. This music is not simple...it's Sondheim!! Everyone had it memorized, except for the piano at the back of the stage that had music. There were about four cast members that weaved on and off of the piano bench during the coarse of the show. It was so impressive!!
Two cellos, Bass, Piano, Trumpet, Clarinet, Percussion, Guitar, Violin, & Accordian. That's the basic configuration, but during the show someone also plays the flute for quite a while and Patti LuPone pulls out the tuba. It's so wonderful. I'm sure it took quite a while to pare down the orchestration and figure out who would play what on which instrument in order to move the show along.
I stayed afterwards and got their signatures. Everyone came out and were so nice. There was one guy who played the part of Judge Turpin who sneeked through when Manoel Feliciano came out, but otherwise everyone was amazing.
In the performance I saw, Bejamin Eakeley was in for Alexander Gemignani in the role of the Beadle. He did a really good job and was SO nice when he came to the stage door. He really took his time and spoke with everyone who was standing out there. He asked questions and was truly engaging. I suppose that's one way to make yourself memorable when you're trying to break into this business. The only other actor that I've seen act in a similar manner is George Jbarra in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. In contrast, when Patti LuPone came out she was nice and signed everyone's Playbills and posed for pictures, but there was no chatting or small talk. In fact, since I really didn't have any extra requests of her, she just signed my Playbill and moved on without comment. I totally understand and don't think she's being rude by any means.
I think I was the most impressed with Donna Lynne Champlin. She was the unspoken and understated leader of the whole show. She started the production with a breath and caught my attention for the rest of the show. As they were up there I was thinking that in order for this group to be together someone has to be the leader. The choreography is so understated and deliberate. It truly is an innovative show. Go see it!!