Groban & Ashford in SWEENEY TODD On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread (2024)

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Impeach2017 said: "Life is not the internet, and this is live theater. Things happen. Go ahead and moan all you want because you were inconvenienced, but at least you have a story to tell of a unique experience."

I’ll never understand posts like this. No one is moaning about it. We are on a broadway board sharing our experiences.

It sounds like people in line didn’t have any idea of what was going on and I’m sure it was very frustrating to be in line when the show’s start time is approaching and you are still waiting… and then it’s 7:30 and you still don’t know what’s going on…

I still don’t know if I’m getting a refund for this or if they’ll past date it.

Finally saw this and I had a great time!

Do people not know how silly Sweeney Todd is? The scenarios are farce. Everyone's bumping into each other, everyone has a hidden agenda or reveal. It's actively silly.

Listen to the lyrics. Sondheim is having the ensemble sing "YUMMM" in harmony.

I think everyone mistakes this show for being purely scary because of recent productions which often strip so much of the humor and of course the movie.

Annaleigh gets a laugh every line cause that character was written broadly. Angela was EVEN more over the top. Watch the video.

It could have been scarier I agree with some different direction. But tonally this worked for me.

I don't need to feel alienated watching this story.

"Everyone" mistakes Sweeney Todd as "purely scary"? I haven't seen many people in this thread making anything close to that suggestion. The conversation has most focused on whether Groban is sufficiently menacing.

And sure, Lovett is a broad broad, but Ashford takes this to an entirely new level and goes hard far more regularly than many previous Lovetts, including Lansbury.

JasonC3 said: ""Everyone" mistakes Sweeney Todd as "purely scary"? I haven't seen many people in this thread making anything close to that suggestion. The conversation has most focused on whether Groban is sufficiently menacing.

And sure, Lovett is a broad broad, but Ashford takes this to an entirely new level and goes hard far more regularly than many previous Lovetts, including Lansbury.

"

I didn’t see Groban and I’m glad I didn’t. His understudy was fantastic. I can’t imagine Groban finding nuance like that.

And I have seen way hammier Mrs. Lovetts and they get half the laughs that Annaleigh got. It was a masterful clown performance

Also people have tried to pinpoint Annaleigh's accent or voice in this production,

Her performance was like Judy Holiday in Born Yesterday but vaguely co*ckney.

Some shows have a Plan B version of the show, where the show can continue even if certain automation is out.

The original Les Miz had that, where if the revolve did not work, there was a way to continue with the show without

even stopping the show. As I understand it, there were actually rehearsals of the plan B version, just in case, though I do not know if they ever needed it. I think Miss Saigon was the same, having a plan B version.

Each show is different and the safety demands of each show are different for the actors and crew. I would think if a show COULD go on so that all are safe, management would probably want to have it that way even if adjustments on the fly have to be made by the actors. Concert versions of shows that cannot go on, are generally disappointing for everybody involved.

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rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Annaleigh gets a laugh every line cause that character was written broadly. Angela was EVEN more over the top. Watch the video."

Lansbury is broad but Ashford is doing slapstick. Lansbury is also always grounded in the world of the play, Ashford’s performance is from another show entirely, or anSNLsketch.

TheQuibbler said: "rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Annaleigh gets a laugh every line cause that character was written broadly. Angela was EVEN more over the top. Watch the video."

Lansbury is broad but Ashford is doing slapstick. Lansbury is also always grounded in the world of the play, Ashford’s performance is from another show entirely, or anSNLsketch.

I think I just disagree. Epiphany ends and Mrs. Lovett says "That's all very well. But what are we gonna do about him?" and "Oh well that's a different matter. For a second I thought you lost your marbles."

That's Monty Python humor. The role is a joke machine.

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I couldn't agree more with you! I saw the original, Sf Concert, 2005 revival and I loved it

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Finally saw this and I had a great time!

Do people not know how silly Sweeney Todd is? The scenarios are farce. Everyone's bumping into each other, everyone has a hidden agenda or reveal. It's actively silly.

Listen to the lyrics. Sondheim is having the ensemble sing "YUMMM" in harmony.

I think everyone mistakes this show for being purely scary because of recent productions which often strip so much of the humor and of course the movie.

Annaleigh gets a laugh every line cause that character was written broadly. Angela was EVEN more over the top. Watch the video.

It could have been scarier I agree with some different direction. But tonally this worked for me.

I don't need to feel alienated watching this story.

"

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Having seen the original and this I agree but come on Angela Lansbury is one of the top 5 actresses of all time. I think this 2023 version is very serviceable.

TheQuibbler said: "rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Annaleigh gets a laugh every line cause that character was written broadly. Angela was EVEN more over the top. Watch the video."

Lansbury is broad but Ashford is doing slapstick. Lansbury is also always grounded in the world of the play, Ashford’s performance is from another show entirely, or anSNLsketch.

Angela is wonderful. But it's big.

So I feel like saying Mrs. Lovett hams too much is like saying Pseudelous was too hammy.

It's a scenery chewing role. The John Doyle version and Helena Bonham Carter's performance are just very different takes where the choice is less is more. It works, but I don't think that choice makes it definitive to the piece.

Annaleigh is doing slapstick? What is "A Little Priest"?

Also her acting after "Not While I'm Around" where she realizes what she has to do to Toby was great.

I liked Ashford when I saw this in March. As Groban called out when I saw it, I debated going again in December, but didn't feel like I could justify the prices now.

With how popular Groban is with PBS, I wonder the possibility of Great Performances filming the production? To me, from what I saw, the performances of both Ashford and Gaten Matarazzo deserve to be preserved for posterity.

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LxGstv said: "Impeach2017 said: "Life is not the internet, and this is live theater. Things happen. Go ahead and moan all you want because you were inconvenienced, but at least you have a story to tell of a unique experience."

I’ll never understand posts like this. No one is moaning about it. We are on a broadway board sharing our experiences.

It sounds like people in line didn’t have any idea of what was going on and I’m sure it was very frustrating to be in line when the show’s start time is approaching and you are still waiting… and then it’s 7:30 and you still don’t know what’s going on…
omg what a disaster for you! Please keep us informed of the outcome, and if you have managed to survive, non-moaner!
I still don’t know if I’m getting a refund for this or if they’ll past date it.

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rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Angela is wonderful. But it's big.

So I feel like saying Mrs. Lovett hams too much is like saying Pseudelous was too hammy.

It's a scenery chewing role. The John Doyle version and Helena Bonham Carter's performance are just very different takes where the choice is less is more. It works, but I don't think that choice makes it definitive to the piece.

Annaleigh is doing slapstick? What is "A Little Priest"?

Also her acting after "Not While I'm Around" where she realizes what she has to do to Toby was great.

I’m not saying Mrs. Lovett is a dour, humorless role. Of course comedy is baked (heh) into it. But, for example, “A Little Priest” is a battle of wits through wordplay and Ashford treats it like she’s Jim Carrey inThe Mask, rolling around on the floor, gesturing wildly to make sure we / get / that / it’s / a / d*ck / joke! It’s like she doesn’t trust that the material is funny so she’s gotta hammer it home. She sure doesn’t seem like a woman with “limited wind.” For me, it’s like the difference between good satire and bad parody: one trusts that the humor will come out and the other beats you over the head with it. I like Ashford, I’ve liked her in many other things, I just think here she’s unsuccessful, and I’d put some of the blame on Kail for not helping her specify her performance more.

We’re not likely to change one another’s mind but I do appreciate that a lot of people are seeing and enjoying this show and her performance and I can’t begrudge them anything that gets them to admire Sondheim’s work.

TheQuibbler said: "rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Angela is wonderful. But it's big.

So I feel like saying Mrs. Lovett hams too much is like saying Pseudelous was too hammy.

It's a scenery chewing role. The John Doyle version and Helena Bonham Carter's performance are just very different takes where the choice is less is more. It works, but I don't think that choice makes it definitive to the piece.

Annaleigh is doing slapstick? What is "A Little Priest"?

Also her acting after "Not While I'm Around" where she realizes what she has to do to Toby was great.

I am assuming Thomas Kail the director has something to do with how she is performing the role.

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I also found Ashford's performance to be way too hammy and over the top in the role. She got better towards the end of the second act, but I felt as iff she was milking every word and moment for a quick laugh. It got old really quickly for me. Jeanna De Waal's Lovett was much more restrained and subdued while still bringing humor to the part. I thought Ashford's performance was extremely broad and lacked any sort of nuance.

I will say that I saw the show late in previews for the first time and again later (both times with Ashford), and I did enjoy her performance more the second time and found it to be a little less schtick-y than the first time I saw her. However, it wasn't a slam dunk performance in my book.

I do fault Kail with many of my qualms and misgivings about this particular revival. Just some odd choices made across the board.

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GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Also this evening's performance. Apparently someone (on Reddit) asked the box office and they said they don’t know how long he’ll be out for."

He was just out a month ago due to COVID, so it's unlikely he has it again. Injury?

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MiserablyWicked1 said: "Is Josh In tonight?"

Yes, he is back in, according to today’s Sweeney ToddInstagram story.

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OK this Wed matinne coming is my 3rd time trying to see Sweeney,

Last 2 Josh was out

I dont really do the social media thing so does anyone know if there are any scheduled absences this upcoming Wed matinee?

Thanks for the help :)